Called by the Matrix
by Darkpanik
Summary: Clare holds the secrets to Earth's end, but the Autobots are away and she's stuck at camp. To make matters worse, odd things begin to happen to her, sinister things. Sequel to Marked by the Spark. Rated M for language, violence and more sexual crap.
1. The Start of Summer

_Hey chapter 1! Yay! I hope that you guys will like this story too! I don't know how fast I'll be able to post the next chapter up. I can't make any promises but I'll try to do it as soon as possible. Please review as always and enjoy!  
_

_Happy reading/writing!  
_

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The sun was bright in the blue sky, almost blinding. Hot air filled me lungs as I rollerbladed down the street. I sped through my neighborhood cheerfully. The warm breeze hit my face.

"First day of summer!" I yelled out for the locals to hear. It was Wednesday, a day after the last day of school. I just finished my Junior year of high school. One more year and I'm free! Well, not really. I still have to go to collage. Oh well.

I slowed down to a stop and waited. Caitlin, my best friend, finally caught up to me. She's my age. We've known each other since middle school. Good times.

"Wow Clare. Some friend you are," Caitlin muttered hotly. "You can't even wait while I fix my hair?" I rolled my eyes.

"You take an hour to put your hair up in a pony tail," I retorted. We just came back from the local pool. Caitlin swam, I didn't. I hate swimming. I usually just laze around in shadowy area, avoiding getting a tan.

"True, but still!" Caitlin said as she skidded to a stop right next to me. She adjusted her halter top irritably. Her gray eyes glanced at me. "Why are you in such a hurry anyway?"

"Bumblebee called me," I said. "He said that he has good news." Bumblebee was my best robot-friend. He's such a kind hearted robot.

"What's the good news?" Caitlin asked. I shrugged. After a moment of just standing around, I quickly bladed away. "Hey! WAIT!" I heard Caitlin yell.

"Catch me if you can!" I yelled back. I was a pretty good rollerblader, Caitlin wasn't. She's more of a runner and she knew it.

I bladed quickly down the street, dodging people and parked cars. Going fast is always fun. Especially if you're in an Autobot speeding through traffic. I hummed leisurely to myself as I sped up to an intersection.

Suddenly, a yellow car drove out and turned towards me.

"Holy shit!" I yelled out and skidded to a stop. Sadly, I didn't stop in time. So I fell right into Bumblebee's hood.

"Clare? Are you ok?" I heard Bee ask; his tone was urgent. My groan was muffled by the metal. I slowly straightened myself up and gave the yellow Camero a little glare.

"Geez Bee. A little warning next time you decide to jump out in front of me," I muttered. The cute blonde hologram of Bee's stepped out. His usually cheerful face looked worried.

"I'm so sorry Clare. Please don't be mad," he said. I couldn't help but smile at his over reaction. I can never be mad at the gentle giant. He's such a sweet heart and I loved him as if he was me big brother. Bumblebee always did take being my guardian very seriously. So I couldn't blame him for that.

I gave the Camero a gentle pat on the hood. "It's all good," I said. "I'm fine, you're fine. Everything's fine." The hologram's expression brightened greatly.

"Clare, guess what?" Bee said quickly. He was obviously excited to tell me something.

"What?" I asked back dryly.

"Optimus and the others are coming home, today!" he said happily.

"Really?" I asked. "That soon?" Optimus and the other Autobots are part of a secret team called NEST. They go around the world and hunt down Decepticons. Because of this, I don't see them at all anymore which saddens me. The last time I saw them was last April, on my birthday. How's that for douchery. I missed all of my Autobot friends. I missed my Optimus Prime.

"Are all the Autobots coming?" I asked hastily. "Even the one's who just arrived?" Although I don't see him, Optimus still talks to me through my cell phone. A couple of months ago, Optimus told me that more Autobots came to Earth. He said that he wanted to introduce me to them. Apparently, he's told them everything about me. I hope he hasn't told them too much.

Bumblebee nodded yes to my question. "Prime said to meet them at the factory later today," he said.

"Awesome!" I squealed. I couldn't wait to see Optimus and the others. I wondered how cool the new Autobots would be. Probably as epic as the one's I know now.

"Look out!" I heard someone scream. I turned around to see Caitlin racing towards me. She was going way to fast to stop. Before I could do anything, Caitlin collided into me. Once again I fell into Bumblebee's Camero self. This time I hit my head on something hard and blacked out.

"_He is coming," a deep voice said. _

"_You must keep it away from him or your world shall end," a second voice whispered._

"_The Fallen will return!" a third roared._

_I stood in a desert. The sun was slowly rising into the dark sky. Sand was blowing around in the wind. Six tall figures loomed_ _over me. They were all robots and about Optimus' height. Except, they looked more ancient. Their head armor reminded me of an Egyptian pharaoh's headdress. Their bodies were thin and skeletal. _

"_Young female from another world, the Matrix calls to you_," _the forth said darkly._

"_You must protect it from the Fallen," the fifth growled. _

"_Where can I find it?" I asked even though I had no idea what they were talking about._

"_You already hold the knowledge from the All Spark. Use it," the sixth said._

I opened my eyes. The first thing I saw were symbols. I recognized them as Cybertronian, but their meaning was still cryptic to me. The symbols were everywhere it made my head hurt. I closed my eyes again and let out a groan.

"Clare?" I heard Bee's voice.

"Oh god, are you ok?" Caitlin's voice asked frantically.

'Let's try this again,' I thought to myself and opened my eyes. This time I saw Bee's robotic face. I was in my garage. Did they drag me all the way here?

"Just peachy," I grumbled.

"She lives!" Caitlin yelled out.

"Oh shut up," I growled. "Learn to stop next time." I slowly tried to sit up with Bee's help. "My head hurts," I muttered. I felt dazed and out of it. Opening my eyes was hard. Seeing light was painful so I closed my eyes once again.

"I am so sorry," Caitlin said slowly. I could tell that she was serious but that doesn't mean I can't be mad.

"Safe it," I said angrily. I tried to stand up but I did it too quickly, which made my head spin so I sat back down. "What the fuck did I hit my head on?"

"On my windshield" Bumblebee said quickly. I opened my eyes a third time. This time I could see. Thank god. No brightness, no dizziness, no.....symbols.

Caitlin and Bumblebee slowly lifted me up to my feet. My head didn't hurt anymore and I was able to stand without difficulty. My two friends realized this and slowly let go. Caitlin's phone suddenly rang. She took it out and looked at her message.

"Sorry guys. My mom wants me home now. I need to get ready for camp," she said remorsefully.

"Oh yeah, camp," I echoed the word. "We're still going together right?"

"Hell yeah!" Caitlin said excitedly. "Bumblebee too?"

Bumblebee started up his radio at full volume, "I'm so excited, I just can't hide it!" He snapped his fingers to the beat happily.

"No, my mom says Bee can't go," I said sadly. The music stopped abruptly. Bee stared at me in disbelief. His whole body hunched down gloomily.

"You can't be serious," Caitlin breathed.

"Sadly, I am."

Bumblebee gave out a robotic wail. He sprayed windshield liquid onto his eyes which created the affect of him crying. Bee sobbed while Caitlin and I watched.

"Come on Bee. Don't cry," I pleaded. He continued to cry. "Bumblebee, I'm already sad about it. I don't need to feel guilty too." My guardian stopped crying and stared at me with his large sad eyes. "Bee, I'm not going to be gone for the whole summer. It's just for two weeks." I tried to reassure the Autobot.

"Yeah. After we come back, the three of us will hang out non-stop," Caitlin said.

"Alright," Bee said. He clearly was not convinced. Everyone went quiet. How awkward.

After a moment, Caitlin broke the silence."Well I gotta go. See ya," she said quietly and rollerbladed away.

"Bye!" I called out then turned back to my guardian. "I'm sorry Bumblebee but it won't be too bad. You can drive around explore all you want."

"It won't be the same without you," Bumblebee muttered.

"I know. But, you know how my mom is. She thinks I need to make more human friends," I said a little bitterly. "She still doesn't fully approve our friendship."

"Is that why you haven't told her about your relationship with Optimus?" Bee asked. I sighed and nodded. It's kinda embarrassing to tell a parent that you're in love with an alien robot.

"Anyway, you're legally my car now. My mom's cool enough to not sell you. She won't even drive you so don't worry," I said pressingly. The yellow Autobot leading his head against me.

"I'll miss you," he said quietly.

"I'm not leaving now!" I said incredulously. "I still have a couple of days."

"Oh yeah," Bee said thoughtfully. He suddenly cheered up and transformed into his vehicle mode. The driver side's door opened. "Let's go to the factory. The Autobots await!"

I smiled at his sudden change in attitude. Carefully, I climbed into the driver's seat. I quickly took my rollerblades off and put them on the passenger's seat.

I learned how to drive thanks to driver's ed and the Autobots. Now I have my license and I can drive to my heart's content. Bumblebee gives me full control every time I drive. He really has helped me with my driving. I will always be thankful for that and more.


	2. The New Autobots

_Chapter 2! Finally. Again, I don't know when I'll be able to type the next chapter. Thanks for being patient and enjoy this chapter!_

_Happy reading/writing!  
_

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I drove to the factory the Autobots used to use for their base. Bee and I haven't been there since the last time we saw our Autobot friends. Going there was a little bitter sweet to me. I don't know about Bee though.

I maneuvered the yellow Camero towards the back of the factory, like always, then got out. As my guardian transformed into his robot mode, I punched in the code on the keypad. The large metal door opened, allowing Bumblebee and I to enter.

We walked into the large dark base. Bee flipped the switch on. The familiar bright lights turned on and I was able to see the base more clearly. I remembered those off metal berths the Autobots used when they recharged. The huge screen was still intact, though very dusty. I wondered if it still worked.

"Wow," I breathed. "It's only been a year but it feels like an eternity since I've been here."

"Yeah. This place is nostalgic," Bumblebee said softly.

"It has been a long time," a familiar voice said. I whirled around and saw the familiar silver Autobot.

"Jazz!" I squealed with excitement and ran up to Autobot. Jazz laughed and picked me up. "Great seeing you again!" I said happily as Jazz held me against him.

"Same here. Wow, you've grown haven't you?" Jazz said. "You humans sure do grow pretty quickly."

"Really? I haven't noticed," I said. The silver Autobot set me back down and turned to Bumblebee.

"Hey long time no see fellow Autobot," he said to Bee.

"Right back at ya," Bumblebee said cheerfully.

"So where are the others?" I asked.

"They're on their way here," Jazz said simply.

"Sweet!" I yelled out.

While we waited, I put my rollerblades back on and bladed around the factory. Jazz and Bee watched curiously as I did a few tricks.

"Sweet moves Clare," Jazz said in aw. "You and Sideswipe are going to get along real fast."

"Sideswipe? Is he one of the new Autobots?" I asked.

"He's not necessarily new, but yeah," Jazz said thoughtfully.

"So how's Optimus?" I asked a little shyly.

"Oh Prime? He's fine. He misses you a lot," Jazz said with a smile. Jazz sometimes teases me about my feelings for Optimus. I ignored him for most of the time.

Suddenly, I heard a familiar horn go off outside. The sound made me freeze for a second. I looked at Jazz, who's smile widened.

"Well aren't you going to check out who it is?" he asked.

A smile spread across my face. I quickly bladed out of the factory. I could hear Jazz laugh, but I didn't care. He could tease me all he wants.

I went outside to make sure it was who I thought it was. What I saw made my heart leap with excitement. The familiar blue Peterbilt truck with flames drove along towards me. Optimus Prime. My Optimus Prime. Behind him was the black GMC and yellow-green Search and Rescue Hummer: Ironhide and Ratchet.

Five other vehicles were also following close behind. Three of them were motorcycles: one pink, one blue, and one purple. Each had a female rider, who I assumed were holograms.

The other two vehicles were cars. One was a silver Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Concept. Such an amazing looking car. The other wasn't bad looking either. It was a blue Chevrolet Volt.

Everyone, except Optimus, drove past me and went into the factory. The Autobot leader stopped right in front of me. I stared at the truck, all choked up. I really did miss him, a lot.

"Hi Optimus," I said softly. "It's been a while."

The truck transformed into his robotic self. I almost forgot how tall he was. Optimus leaned down to my level. There was a gentle smile on his face. The smile that always made me feel all warm inside. He held out his large hand towards me. I attempted to climb onto it but fell over. Rollerblades were clearly not made for climbing. Optimus chuckled softly and picked me up. I didn't mind. Actually, I wanted him to pick me up. Oh how I missed his warm metal touch.

"Hello Clare," Prime said in his deep wonderful voice. "I've missed you." hearing him say that made my heart race with happiness.

"I missed you more," I said. It was an old game between us. I always joked around with him while he laughed and played along.

Optimus let out another soft laugh before pulled me against him. I leaned my head against his metal cheek. No matter how hot it was outside, I will always love feeling Prime's warmth. I still haven't figured out why he feels like that.

"You've grown," Optimus said softly.

"Yeah, Jazz already noticed," I said with a little laugh. I gave Optimus a little kiss on his mouth, which made his smile widen. He carefully placed me on his shoulder and walked into the factory.

Ratchet and Ironhide were already transformed into their robot modes. They both smiled when they saw Optimus and I come in.

"Hello Clare," Ratchet said. "Nice to see you again."

"Yeah, it's not as fun without you around," Ironhide grunted. Wow. I would have never thought that Ironhide missed me. But then again he has warmed up to me a little right before he left. I smiled back at both 'bots.

"Hey Ratchet. Hey Ironhide. It's awesome seeing you guys too," I said happily as Optimus put me down.

The silver Chevrolet drove up to me. It circled me a couple of times before asking, "So, is this the little human you've been talking about, Prime?"

Optimus nodded then said, "Clare, this is Sideswipe."

The Chevrolet transformed. I stared at the Autobot Sideswipe. He looked so cool. He was slightly taller than Bumblebee but not as buff. Sideswipe had long legs with wheels for feet. He stared right back at me and skated around me. He eyed my rollerblades peculiarly.

"You're like me," he said and pointed to my feet.

"Not really," I said. "These aren't my real feet. But you're so cool!" I couldn't help myself. I needed to blurt that out.

Sideswipe knelt down in front of me. He cocked his head slightly and asked, "Cool? You think I'm cool?"

"Yeah! The way you skate around like that is bad-ass!" I said excitedly.

"Well alright," Sideswipe said lightly. "I like her."

The blue Volt transformed too. He was a little shorter than Bumblebee. He walked up and knelt down beside Sideswipe. His blue eyes stared into mine.

"Clare this is Jolt," Optimus said softly. Jolt the Chevrolet Volt. I can remember that.

Jolt continued to stare at me then glanced at the other Autobots.

"Her eyes are blue like our optics," he said. "Why is that?"

"Don't you remember Optimus telling us about what happened to the All Spark?" the pink motorcycle transformed and said. It had a feminine voice, so I thought it was a female. I didn't know that there were females.

The other two motorcycles transformed too. All three looked pretty similar. Even their bodies had a feminine appeal to them. But the thing that really caught my attention was that they didn't have legs. Instead they had a long stem like structure connecting their abdomen to a large wheel.

The pink one rolled up to me. She was about a foot taller than me. She smiled sweetly and said, "I'm Arcee. These are my sisters." Arcee pointed to the blue and purple versions of herself.

"I am called Chromia," the blue one said.

"Flareup," the purple said softly.

"Arcee, Chromia, Flareup," I repeated each name. "I'll remember that."

Suddenly, I heard multiple honks from outside. Two cars zoomed in, coming right at me. Bumblebee quickly got in front of me to block then off. The cars skidded to a stop, narrowly missing Bee.

"Took you two long enough," Ironhide muttered.

The cars looked pretty similar. One was a red-orange Chevrolet Trax while the other was a green Chevrolet Beat. They both transformed at the same time.

"Sorry guys. Mudflap was taking his sweet damn time scanning his new Earth-mode!" the green one yelled.

"Hey shut up! Punk-ass," the one called Mudflap retorted.

All the Autobots gave both 'bots an irritated look. Jazz shook his had and came over to me. He knelt down then said, "They are the twins: Mudflap and Skids."

"They can get pretty.....crude," Ratchet muttered quietly.

"And that's putting it lightly," Jolt mumbled.

"Yeah, I can tell," I said back with a little laugh.

Mudflap and Skids were less then half of Bumblebee's size. They had odd facial features. Skids had two buck teeth, one of which was gold. The twins stalked up to me.

"So is this the little bitch Optimus kept talkin' about?" Mudflap asked his twin.

"I guess so. She's the only little bitch around," Skids said and pounded fists with Mudflap. They both started laughing at my bewildered expression.

I felt annoyed by them calling me "little bitch". Jazz called me a bitch when we first met but he was joking around then. These two, however, weren't. They just blatantly insulted me. My eyes narrowed at the twins.

"Bitch huh?" I said darkly.

"Mudflap, Skids," Optimus said angrily. "Apologize at once."

"We were only foolin' with the girl," Skids said.

"Now!" Optimus boomed which made everyone, including me, jump. The twins stared at Optimus for a second then turned to me.

"Sorry," they both said together in an irritated tone. I wasn't convinced by their so-called apology.

"Sure you are," I said lightly. Bumblebee put a protective hand around me and glared at the twins. He doesn't take me being insulted lightly. I gently patted his hand away. "It's all good Bee," I said sweetly. "If they want a bitch, then I'll give them a bitch."

The twins flinched a little when my eyes settled onto them. They did not want to get me angry now since I have both Optimus and Bumblebee on my side. Jazz laughed at my little come back while Ironhide smiled a little smugly. Chromia came closer and gave me a smirk.

"Hmmm.....I like her too," she said thoughtfully while her sisters agreed. I smiled at her. I got more Autobot friends. Awesome.

I asked Bee to give a lift up onto the berth. He nodded and gingerly picked me up and set me down onto his berth. I turned to all of the Autobots and smiled.

"It's really awesome seeing and meeting you all," I said happily. "How long can you guys stay?"

"Just a couple of days," Ironhide muttered.

"Then we're back at the NEST base," Arcee added.

"Aw," I whined. "That's lame!" I thought for a second. "Well, let's use all the time we have left."

With that said, the Autobots hung around the factory. The newer Autobots never had a chance to talk to a human casually. Sideswipe especially had many questions for me. I happily answered them. He reminds me of Jazz. A much cockier version.

After they were done asking me questions, I asked them about themselves. Apparently, Sideswipe was make during the war on Cybertron. So he's a war machine, literally. Sideswipe lives to fight and only fight. It was Ironhide who trained him too, which I found interesting.

Bumblebee and Arcee have been good friends for some time. This was their first reunion since being on Cybertron. They were very happy to see each other.

Ironhide and Chromia are pretty close. Chromia is like a female verison of Ironhide. She enjoys battling Decepticons like him. What a perfect couple.

Jolt didn't bother talking to me. He chose to just listen to our conversation, which I didn't mind. The twins weren't paying attention to anything. They bickered to each other aimlessly. I couldn't help but laugh at them.

I tried to avoid mentioning the war. I didn't want to offend them in any way. But, something was really bothering me. The little vision I had earlier kept popping up in my head. I wondered who the Fallen was so I decided to ask the Autobots about it.

"Does anyone know who or what the Fallen is?" I asked.

The room suddenly went silent. Most of the Autobots merely stared at me confused or shrugged. Optimus and Ironhide, however, both glanced at each other then gave me a hard look.

"Do you know who the Fallen is?" Optimus asked darkly.

"No, that's why I'm asking you," I said. "Do you know Optimus?"

Prime shook his head then said., "It's odd that you ask me about him." Optimus told me about the last mission they had. It was in Shanghai. They found two Decepticons and killed them both. Sideswipe excitedly described them both to me. I didn't pay too much attention on how they looked. Ironhide continued telling me what happened.

"Right before Optimus offlined Demolisher, he said," Ironhide played a recording of a deep raspy voice, "_The Fallen shall rise again_."

"A threat?" I asked.

"More like a warning," Ironhide said. "How have you heard of the Fallen while we didn't?"

I shrugged. "I sorta had a vision about it," I said. "While I was knocked out."

Optimus' blue eyes narrowed down at me. Bumblebee, who was standing next to his berth, shrank away a little.

"Knocked out?" Ratchet asked. "How did you get knocked out?"

"My windshield hit Clare," Bumblebee said quietly.

"It's not his fault," I said quickly. "Caitlin ran into me, I fell. My head hit Bumblebee. That's it!"

Ironhide chuckled softly. Everyone watched him as he regained his composure.

"I'm sorry," he said. "How is Caitlin?"

A smile spread across my face. Ironhide liked Caitlin a lot. Well not as much as Optimus and I like each other, but they were close. For him to ask about her was sweet.

"She's fine Ironhide. She really misses you the most," I said a little smugly. I could see Ironhide smile a little to himself.

"Back to the point please," Optimus said somewhat impatiently.

"Sorry," Ironhide and I said together. I told the Autobots about my vision. They all listened intently. Some stared at me blankly while others seemed a bit confused.

"'The Fallen will return' and 'The Fallen shall rise again,'" Sideswipe repeated both quotes.

"Coincidence?" Flareup asked.

"Maybe not," Optimus said darkly. The mood became quite tense after that. Damn. I didn't mean to make things tense.

"Sorry guys," I said softly. "I just made everything go gloomy."

Optimus tilted his head slightly. He brushed his fingers against me and said, "No need to apologize." His tone was gentle just like his touch.

"Yeah, this is a time to relax and enjoy each other's company," Bumblebee said cheerfully.

"Hey Optimus, can we go to the city?" Jazz asked excitedly. The Autobot leader smiled and said yes.

The Autobots split up into groups to go into the city. I was with Optimus, Sideswipe, and Bumblebee. Ironhide went with Arcee and her sisters. Ratchet and Jolt were together. Jazz, to his dismay, was stuck with the twins. It was clear that he did not enjoy their company.

"Sorry Jazz," I said quietly to him. He merely shrugged tiredly. I gave him a quick kiss on the leg before climbing into Bumblebee.

We didn't do much in the city, but the Autobots didn't mind. They enjoyed driving around leisurely, especially the new Autobots. I didn't feel like driving, so Bumblebee used his hologram to drive. I just sat in the passenger seat and stared at Optimus through the rearview mirror.

"He's sad," Bumblebee said softly. "Optimus, I mean."

I turned to the blonde hologram. "Why?" I asked.

"He doesn't see you as often. That makes him sad," Bee said.

"It makes me sad too," I muttered. "It makes me sad that I can't spend any time with all of the Autobots anymore. I hate that."

"Me too," Bee said quietly. The hologram placed his hand on my shoulder. "I'll really miss you," he whispered.

"Oh Bee," I pleaded. "Not this again." I looked at the hologram and froze. His expression broke my heart. His blue eyes were filled with sadness.

"I hate being away from you," he said. "You're the closest person to me and I don't want to lose you."

I sighed. There really was no point in trying to reassure him. "I know Bee," I said. I gently placed my hand over his hologram's. I leaned closer to the hologram and gave him a soft kiss on the cheek.


	3. Saying Goodbye

_Chapter 3!! Ok, so I just wrote this one. I sped through it so I'm sorry that it sounds a little rushed at the end. Anyway enjoy the chapter. Don't forget to review!_

_Happy reading/writing!_

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Saturday**

For the past few days Caitlin, the Autobots, and I enjoyed each other's company. Ironhide was happy to see Caitlin, who was ecstatic to see him. Caitlin really liked the Femme-bots, as they were called. Mudflap and Skids tried to get her attention, but she ignored them. I warned her about their crudeness beforehand.

Jolt, well, he was a complete moron. I realized that he was very mischievous. He kept on playing pranks on Caitlin until both me and Ironhide yelled at him. Optimus told me that the only reason why Jolt didn't harass me was that he had warned him not to. Thank you Prime.

Sideswipe, for some reason, avoided being around Caitlin. He did, however, follow me around. Ironhide stated that he liked me, a lot. Thankfully it wasn't in a romantic way, otherwise Optimus would probably disapprove it.

Sideswipe was pretty fun to rollerblade with, though. He taught me a few tricks and jumps. He also gave me helpful tips. Sometimes he'll get really cocky and start to show off. I usually ignored him then. Occasionally, when he's not showing off, Sideswipe would plop me onto his shoulders and give me a ride around the factory. It was amazingly fun.

Those days were fun and very interesting. I was able to stay over at the factory for those days which was always fun. Optimus and I spent a lot more time together. We talked as if we've never been apart. Optimus, both hologram and robot, always held me close to him. Whenever he was using his hologram, Prime would always kiss my cheek. It was like he was making up all the lost time by kissing me. I was so happy to be with him again. But that all ended today.

Today was a sad day. Optimus and the other Autobots were leaving, and I was leaving Bumblebee. Everyone was sad about leaving, Bee especially. My guardian tried his very best to persuade me to not go to camp. None of his attempts worked, to his dismay.

Thankfully, the Autobots didn't leave right away. They decided to "escort" Caitlin and I to the camp grounds. Our families were happy about it. They get to save gas in their cars. Caitlin's parents still think that the Autobot holograms are my dad's friends, which was good.....I guess.

We arrived at the campsite later in the afternoon. Caitlin and I had to wake up very early because it was a six hour drive to get there. We both slept for most of the drive. We are not morning people.

The camp was in the middle of a forest, fancy that. There was a lake right next to it for swimming. Cabins were scattered everywhere. There was a large cafeteria cabin right smack in the middle of the campsite, so it wont be hard to find. Like it ever was.

There was also a stable, were Caitlin and I are volunteering at. This year we were both old enough to work as a volunteer. We both love horses and enjoy taking care of them. We're able to ride them too if we wanted to. We also had to help out the campers who are new and are taking riding lessons.

We arrived at camp pretty early, so there were very few people and it wasn't time for us volunteers to register. Caitlin stayed with the Autobots, who were in their car mode with their holograms standing beside them. I decided that I wanted to go to the stables. The second I turned to leave, Optimus' hologram stopped me.

"Were are you going?" he asked curiously.

"I'm going to see my baby," I said simply. No, I don't have a real baby but Optimus took it that way. Prime's hologram stared at me. Shock was written all over his face which quickly turned cold and hard.

He grabbed me by the shoulders and asked, "Who's the father?" He sounded angry, which should have scared me but didn't. Instead of correcting him, I just burst out laughing. Optimus stood there silently, holding me by my shoulders and watched me laugh myself to tears.

"No!" I said, still laughing. "Not that kind of baby. I'm not a mother."

Optimus continued to stare at me, completely thrown off. "I don't understand," he said darkly.

I tugged at Prime's hologram. "Come on, I'll show you," I said. Optimus quietly followed me to the stables. The smell of horse and leather filled the air. I took a deep breath of it, enjoying the horsey-ness from it.

We walked past a couple paddocks filled with horses. A few familiar horses trotted up to us and nickered softly. I smiled at the animals and stroked one of their velvet noses.

"Horses," Optimus said softly. He was clearly amazed to see them up close.

"Yeah," I said then continued to walk. I was searching for my favorite horse, Smokey. He was a small grey mustang. Finally I saw him in the middle of a paddock.

"Hi Smokey!" I called out to my baby. As always, Smokey ignored me until I pulled out a mint. The grey horse lifted his head then trotted up to the fence. Optimus stared at Smokey as he gobbled the mint up.

"Smokey?" he asked. I nodded as I rubbed the horse's forehead. Smokey stuck his nose into my pocket, searching for more food. He snorted in disappointment when he didn't find any, then sniffed at Prime's hologram. The hologram quickly backed away which made Smokey snort again. To my surprise, Optimus was smiling. "I understand now," he said as Smokey stretched his neck out towards the hologram. "He obviously isn't your real baby."

I gave out a little laugh. "Sorry, I didn't mean to confuse you," I said. I looked back at Prime's hologram. I noticed then that he looked a little different from when I remembered. His hair was slightly longer. But the thing that really baffled me was the color of the hologram's hair. It was still dark, almost black, but it had a slight blue tint to it. Was it always like that?

My thought was interrupted when Optimus feathered his lips over mine. Without thinking, I pressed my lips onto his. Prime was mildly surprised by my action. His hands came up to my face and held my cheeks as he deepened the kiss.

Smokey suddenly rubbed his head against my back, which pushed me onto Optimus. My face went right into Prime's chest. How embarrassing. I quickly straightened up then elbowed the horse to show him that he's in my space.

"Quit it," I chided. "I know you want attention but there's no need to push." Smokey shook his head irritable in response. I rolled my eyes and stuck my finger into the horse's ear then began to scratch it. The grey horse stretched his neck out and closed his eyes. His lips drooped down and wiggled with pleasure. Smokey loved being scratched. Optimus watched the horse, amused.

When I stopped scratching, Smokey shook his head again then walked away to graze. I shook my head slowly. "Oh you," I muttered to the horse.

Optimus gently leaned his forehead against mine. His blue eyes bore into mine. They held sadness, like Bumblebee's. Damn. I knew what he was going to saw. Before he said it, Optimus sighed heavily.

"I don't want to leave," he said.

I gave a half laugh. "And you thing that I want you to go?" I asked, half joking half serious. But I heard the bitterness in my voice. I knew that Optimus did too. I couldn't stand looking into his disappointed blue eyes, so I dropped my gaze.

Prime never liked that about me. Neither did I. I always found myself weak for not looking at people in the eyes. Optimus used his forefinger to tilt my face up towards him, forcing me to look at him.

Optimus leaned closer to give me a kiss but hesitated. I watched silently as he continued to stare at me until finally he kissed my cheek. For some reason, that kiss broke my heart. There was something so sad about it.

His mouth didn't move away from my cheek. Instead, his hands went to my lower back and to the back of my head. Optimus held me close to him. His signature warmth surrounded me. I could feel his mouth and nose nuzzle against my cheek like he always did. I closed my eyes tightly and wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him closer. Suddenly, I got a flashback.

_He was standing over the many bodies of the pitiful Autobots. They fell so easily. They were so weak. Not worthy to live. _

_A pole was being held in his claw. An Autobot head was staked onto it. Optimus Prime was staring at him in horror and disbelief. _

"_Megatron, what have you done!?" Prime roared at the silver 'bot. _

The flashback ended quickly. My right arm tingled a little before energy began to build up in it. All the built up energy was released into the hologram. Optimus yelled out then disappeared. I fell to my knees, panting.

The flashback. It clearly wasn't mine. It wasn't Optimus' either. I knew for sure, it was Megatron's. Ratchet told me once that because of the bond Megatron and I share we are able to see each other's memories. The weird thing was that this is the first time I saw his memory and it's been a year. I can feel the Decepticon inside of me.

I shook my head, trying to shake the thought away. I got back up to my feet and ran back to the Autobots. I hoped that I didn't make Optimus transform.

As I ran, a silver car came into view. It was Sideswipe coming towards me. The Autobots stopped just a few feet away. His driver's door opened and a hologram walked out. Sideswipe's hologram looked like a movie star. He wore a light grey casual looking suit with a black shirt. His hair was also black and was gelled back into a messy but nice looking style. His blue eyes were hidden behind a pair of black shades.

The hologram frowned when he looked at me. Sideswipe walked up to me and titled my face up towards his. Dammit. He was also taller than me!

"Is Optimus ok?" I asked, trying to ignore how close the hologram was.

"Aren't your eyes supposed to be blue?" he asked, completely disregarding my question. I hate not having my questions answered.

"Uh yeah?" I said.

"Then why are they red?" he asked darkly. I froze. Red?

"What do you mean by red?" I asked.

"Are you color blind?" Sideswipe asked dryly.

"No!" I said impatiently.

"Then you should know what red means," he said, equally impatient.

I quickly pulled away and ran over to Sideswipe's real form. I stared into my reflection in the little side mirror. The sight horrified me. My glowing blue eyes were replaced with blood red ones. After a few seconds of staring, I realized that my red eyes were fading back to blue.

Sideswipe's hologram walked up to me and tiredly said, "Come on. We're leaving soon." He gently lifted me to my feet and helped me get inside his Chevrolet self.

Back at the campsite, the Autobots and Caitlin were waiting for us. I saw Optimus in his vehicle form, but I didn't see his hologram. Damn. 'I hope I didn't damage him in any way,' I thought. I noticed the my backpack and suitcase were already taken out. They were right next to Bumblebee's hologram, who looked devastated.

I took a deep breath and climbed out of Sideswipe. All of the holograms stared at me, slightly concerned. How irritating. It was only an accident.

"Clare, what did you do to Optimus?" Caitlin yelled out. I knew she was only joking but I was in no mode to kid around. Anger and agitation washed through me quickly. I glared at Caitlin, who shrank away next to Ironhide's hologram.

"Clare, are you ok?" Ratchet asked.

"Yeah," I said breezily. "I just lost control of the energy. That's all."

Bee's hologram stalked up to me and pulled me into a tight hug. I let out a heavy sigh. Slowly, all the anger faded and I leaned into my guardian.

"Come on Bee," I groaned. "I'm not going away forever." I swear, this was the fifth time I've told him this.

"But there's nothing to do!" he whined.

"You can drive around freely," I said irritably.

"But it's not the same without you."

"He's got a point," Jazz muttered.

"Don't encourage him!" I scolded Jazz, who laughed at my reaction. I turned back to the blond hologram. "Bumblebee. We have been through this dozens of times. If you have nothing to do here, then go with the Autobots. That way you can be with your own kind and have fun with your old friends. Have an adventure. Besides, you know how my mom doesn't like having you around."

Bumblebee stared at me disappointedly.

"Please, Bee," I said gently. "Do it for me."

"Fine," Bee said darkly. The hologram stalked back to his Camero self. Seeing him frown like that will always make me feel guilty.

"Bumblebee," I called out. Bee turned back to me. "Will you smile if I promise you, here and now, that when camp is over we will hang out none stop?"

My guardian stared at me. "Just the two of us?" he asked hopefully.

I thought of Caitlin. Bumblebee liked her but he wasn't really that close to her. I smiled and said, "Just us." To my relief, Bee smiled gently and nodded.

Jazz gave me a rueful smile and said, "Well then. See ya." He then ruffled my hair.

Ratchet placed his hand on my shoulder and said, "Hope to see you again soon."

"It was nice seeing you again Clare," Ironhide mumbled and pulled me into a quick hug. He gave Caitlin a little peck on her cheek before disappearing into his GMC self.

Sideswipe kissed my forehead, which stunned me. 'Great,' I thought. 'Optimus probably saw that.' The silver Chevrolet drove off without it's hologram, who disappeared. The other Autobots said their goodbyes to me and also left. Optimus and the twins stayed behind.

The blue Peterbilt slowly crept up to me. I gave the truck an apologetic look and said, "Sorry about that Optimus. Are you mad?" His front lights blinked once. "I have no idea what that means, but ok," I said dryly.

My cell phone vibrated in my pocket. I pulled it out and read Optimus' message which said, "No, I'm not mad. But you turned off my hologram system."

"Oh, sorry," I said softly. My phone vibrated again.

"No need to apologize," Prime's message said.

"You always say that," I said.

"Is that bad?" Prime's third message asked.

I gave the truck a small smile. "No," I whispered. The Peterbilt nudged me gently. I brushed my left hand onto Optimus' warm hood.

Mudflap and Skids' holograms came up to me. Their holograms looked like they were about my age. They both looked the same, except one of them had a gold tooth. 'Skids,' I thought. Mudflap wore a baggy red-orange shirt with a dark red Autobots symbol right in the middle, like Jazz's hologram. He also wore an orange baseball cap that was tilted to the side. Skids wore the same outfit, except in green. And the Autobots insignia was on his hat instead of his shirt. His shirt said "kick ass" on it. Wow.

"Hey Clare. We really are sorry," Skids said. He really sounded sincere.

"Yeah, we were only kiddin' around," Mudflap added. I smile gently at the twins. I guess they weren't so bad after all.

"You're forgiven," I said tiredly.

"Really?" they both asked together. I nodded cheerfully. The twins jumped up happily and both gave me hugs. Then their holograms disappeared and both Chevrolets sped off. Optimus blew his horn before driving after them.

"Bye Optimus!" I called out to him. My phone vibrated again. I looked at Primes message.

"Good Bye Clare."

I felt sad at that moment. Saying good bye gets harder every time.


	4. Lousy Camp

_Chapter 4 is ready for reading! Whew! I tried my best to type this one fast for you guys. Since Spring Break is coming up, I'll hopefully put a few more chapters up. Thanks for being patient with me and enjoy! Don't forget to make reviews!!_

_Happy reading/ writing_

* * *

Caitlin and I sat around near the cafeteria cabin and watched the crowds of people grow. Most of the campers were younger than us, middle school kids and some highschool freshmen. Most of us highschool juniors and seniors were volunteers. Caitlin noticed a small group of freshmen college students. I didn't really pay attention to them.

After a couple hours of sitting around, the camp councilors finally came out and gave us volunteers our schedules and information. They also assigned each of us our cabins. Sadly, Caitlin and I weren't in the same cabin let alone the same area. At least she was able to make friends quickly. I however have a tougher time doing so. Especially with a bunch of whiny bitches who I have to share a cabin with. Hoorah.

Caitlin and I gave each other a rueful.

"Well," I said. "See ya around."

"Yeah, sorry that we can't be together," Caitlin said sadly. I nodded then we went our separate ways.

I was the first to get to my cabin. The other girls, who shared my cabin, decided to go look for their other friends instead of being with me. Thank god. The camp councilor already gave me the key to the cabin so I was able to go in. The cabin was small and it had four beds: two on each side of the room with little night tables next to each one. There was a bathroom with a shower in the back corner of the cabin. Yay for indoor plumbing.

I chose the bed in the corner next to the window. I walked over to it and dumped my stuff onto it. Cabin sweet cabin.

"Hey, I guess we're neighbors," someone said behind me. I turned and saw a guy standing in the doorway. I recognized him as one of the college kids, so he was older than me. From his complexion, he looked like he was from Spanish descent. "I'm in the cabin next to yours," he said.

I didn't like the way he was looking at me. He kept on staring at my body. His eyes were filled with sick hormonal lust. The perverted bastard.

I decided to ignore the creep and walked out of the cabin. To my annoyance, the pervert followed me.

"My name's Leo. What's yours?" he asked. Giving him my name is harmless....I guess.

"Clare," I said dryly.

"Clare? That's a pretty name for a hot babe," Leo said happily. I stopped dead in my tracks. Hot babe? He did not. I slowly turned to the flirtatious jerk.

"Leo, are you flirting with me?" I asked lightly. "Because I'm already taken."

Leo frowned at my answer. He tried his best to smile at me even though he knew that I won his little flirting game. He laughed a little nervously then said, "No. I'm just trying to..."

"Get into my pants?" I interrupted him.

"No!" he said quickly. "Just trying to be your friend." I could tell that he was lying, but he was the only person who was willing to talk to me. So, I just went along with it.

"Ok, you've won me over," I said tiredly. "We're friends. Only friends." I emphasized only just to get it through Leo's head.

Leo smiled and nodded stupidly at me. Did he really think that he won me over? The idiotic loser.

"Come on, let's go into my cabin," Leo said excitedly. I stared at him incredulously. When I didn't respond, Leo continued, "I want you to meet my friends. Are you into computers?"

I couldn't help but smile at the question. Leo's smile widened when I said, "You can say that." The college boy grabbed my hand and pulled me to his cabin. I didn't bother trying to fight his grip, even though it was a weak one. When I entered Leo's cabin, I was amazed by the computers and other electronics everywhere. Two other guys were on two of the computers, typing furiously on them.

"Ok Clare, these are my employees: Sharsky and Fassbinder," Leo said proudly.

'Wow,' was the only thing that came to my mind. "Employees?" I asked.

"Yeah. I've created a site called TheRealEffingDeal .com. This is my empire," Leo said.

"So what exactly do you put in this site of yours?" I asked. I had to admit, I was a little interested. I've never made a website before, nor have I known someone who has.

"We post videos of alien robots," Leo said. I froze. "Have you heard about those meteors crashing into stuff over a year ago? Aliens I'm telling ya! Or about those attacks at that highschool and airport. Those were all covered up. The government said that all that was done by terrorists. I say it was alien terrorists," Leo said quickly. He was clearly obsessed with the alien topic.

I stared at Leo. Crap. He better not have videos of me or the other Autobots. Instead of panicking, I forced myself to laugh. Leo frowned as I laughed at his face.

"I'm sorry," I said. "I just don't believe in this alien crap."

"What?!" Leo said, appalled.

"Dude!" one of Leo's friends said. "What kind of chick did you bring in here?"

Suddenly, the other of Leo's "employees" yelled out, "A new video from Shanghai!"

"Post it up!" Leo yelled.

"Aw man!," the other employee said. "The video is already up on ."

"Dammit!" Leo roared. I stared at the enraged boy as he turned to me. "Robowarrior always steals my stuff from my site. TheRealEffingDeal was my idea!"

I shrugged. "Sorry," I said. I really had nothing else to say. I didn't particularly care about his little war with Robowarrior online but I didn't say that out loud. I made no other comment on Leo's site and just watched the techies do their magic.

They did show me their videos though. To my relief, the videos were very bad quality and you can barely see what was going on. But I did, however, know what was going on. I realize that some of the clips were from the airport battle. That day was a day that I'll never forget, in a bad way.

**Optimus POV**

My fellow Autobots and I finally arrived at NEST base. Leaving Clare yet again was...spark wrenching. I hated leaving her. I hated seeing her so sad. I hoped that our separation won't be as long as our last one.

The Autobots made their way to the hanger to rest. It had been a long trip back. I was about to make my way there too, but was stopped by Major Lennox.

"Optimus, the American National Security advisor, Galloway, wished to speak with you," he said. I could tell that Lennox was irritated.

I transformed into my robot mode and stalked towards the communication balcony I use to contact General Morshower. The man called Galloway was arguing with Morshower about how we Autobots have destroyed the city of Shanghai. 'But, we didn't do that,' I thought as I listened to Galloway. 'Demolisher didmost of the damage.'

"I don't understand!" Galloway said angrily. "Who's the enemy?"

"The Decepticons are the enemy," I said.

"Yes but why are they still here!?" Galloway roared. "Their leader NBE-1, or Megatron, is dead. His remains were dumped into the Laurentan Abyss. The alien artifact, the All Spark, was destroyed. What more does the Decepticons want?"

I realized that this man, Galloway, was right. It did seem odd that the Decepticons stayed on Earth. I wasn't sure if they were after Clare. She hasn't been attacked for more than an Earth year. Other than her, there is no known energon source of this planet. So why stay? My thoughts were interrupted by Galloway's continuous ranting.

"You know, I have an idea why the Decepticons are staying. The Autobots. They are here for the Autobots. To hunt you! And because of that, we humans are paying the price for it!" Galloway yelled.

"We are merely trying to help the human race by defeating the remaining Decepticons," I said calmly.

"You're doing more harm then help," the human snapped.

I did not want to argue with this man. I was in no mood what so ever. My spark was aching from not being with my love. I did not need to feel anymore guilt than I already had.

"Without the Autobots, all those cities would have been destroyed," Lennox retorted.

"Yeah," Epps added as he stood next to me. "We've shed blood, sweat, and precious metal together." He patted my leg triumphantly.

Galloway glared down at us from the balcony. "Soldier," he called out to Epps. "You're paid to shoot, not talk."

The soldier's eyes narrowed up at Galloway. "Don't tempt me," he growled.

"Easy," I said calmly. I turned back to Galloway. He was pacing back and forth a little before he turned back to me.

"If we ask you to leave this planet, will you go peacefully?" he finally asked.

"Freedom is everyone's right. If you wish for us to leave we will without complaint," I said. Galloway smiled, clearly gladdened by my response. "But," I continued. "What if we leave, and you're wrong?" My optics bore into the human's eyes angrily before stalking away.

"That's a good question," I heard Lennox mutter.

As I walked to the Autobot hanger, I felt more and more down. What if Galloway was right? What if the Decepticons are only here to get rid of us Autobots? Then I'll have to leave, to save this planet from our war. But I didn't want to leave Earth. I didn't want to leave Clare. I promised Clare that I will never leave her and yet, I keep breaking that promise. I hated myself for that.

When I finally arrived at the Autobot hanger, Ratchet, Jazz, and Ironhide transformed and walked up to me. All three seemed to know what was going on between me and Galloway.

"What are we going to do Prime?" Ratchet asked. "Leaving this planet won't stop the Decepticons from destroying it."

"I know," I muttered.

"How are we going to convince the government to allow us to stay?" Ironhide growled.

"We may not be able to convince them at all," I said. "But maybe they will listen to one of their own kind."

"Another human?" Ratchet and Ironhide asked together.

"Do you mean Clare?" Jazz asked excitedly. I nodded. "Are we going to see her now?"

"No," I said. I noticed that our human allies were rushing back to their planes. "I believe we have yet another mission now." Jazz groaned irritably. I understood how he felt. 'I'm sorry Clare. I have to ask you for another favor,' I thought gravely.

"Come on Prime!" I heard Lennox yell. "We've just located a large group of Decepticons near the eastern coast of Canada!"

I nodded and said, "Autobots, transform and roll out!"

**Clare POV**

**Tuesday**

The past few days of camp have been lonely and irritating. The girls who were supposed to be my cabin mates left. No one else replaced them, so I had the whole cabin to myself. That's probably the only good thing that happened.

Leo, the douche-bag that he was, continued to flirt with me. I ignored him for most of the time. He follows me around even to the stables. It's very awkward and annoying when he watches me do the barn chores. Sometimes I really feel like throwing something at his head.

Today, I finished my chores and already helped the newbie campers. Now I had lots of time to myself so I decided to give Smokey a good grooming. I could hear the mustang whinny and stomp around in his stall. Smokey hated stalls with a great passion so he'll be happy when I take him out.

Leo watched me, as always, as I lead the irritated gray horse out of his stall. Smokey tossed his head eagerly while I tied him to the wall.

"Leo, can you watch Smokey while I get his grooming stuff?" I asked the college boy who was sitting on a bale of straw.

"Aw, can't I watch you?" he asked. I stared at the boy incredulously for a second, then walked away. I grumbled nasty things under my breath as I grabbed Smokey's grooming supplies then walked back.

While I was in the middle of brushing the mustang, I noticed a girl staring at me. She looked like she was about Leo's age. She had blond hair that went down to her middle back. Her eyes were bright blue, well not as bright as mine or the Autobots'. The girl wore a short dress with heels. Not the best things to wear at a stable. But then again, I was wearing a tank-top and shorts, so I shouldn't talk.

"Oh my god," Leo breathed. "That's Alice. She's the hottest babe around." Hottest babe huh? Wonderful.

Alice looked at me and smiled. She strolled up and stopped just a few inches away from me. I guess she doesn't understand the phrase "personal space".

"You're Clare right?" Alice asked sweetly. How the hell did she know my name?

"Yeah," I said. "And you're Alice?" She nodded.

"So do you want to hang out?" Alice asked a little flirtatiously. What the hell? What is with these people!? Flirting with me like that gets annoying really quickly.

Instead of snapping at the girl I simply gave her a rueful smile. "Sorry, not now. I'm a little busy," I said and patted Smokey. The horse nickered softly and nudged Alice, who jumped away. Her upper lip curled up in disgust. She must not like animals. The bitch.

"Fine," she said coldly and walked away.

Leo abruptly stood up and ran after Alice. "If you want Alice, I'll hang with you!" he called after her. I rolled my eyes at the desperate loser.

After grooming Smokey, I lead him out to the paddock. I released him into the open grass field. To my annoyance, Smokey immediately began to roll in the dirt, causing his clean light grey coat to get all dirty.

"Oh thanks, Smokey," I muttered.

I went back up to the barn and hung the horse's halter up on it's respected hook. Suddenly, I heard a deep chuckle echo in my head. It was horrifying familiar. My arm began to ache. I got dizzy and fell to my knees. Symbols appeared before my eyes. My head hurt immensely. A flashback came up.

_He stood on his balcony. His red eyes scanned the area and stopped on a little figure. It was an Autobot. The disgusting thing still lives. _

_Megatron growled lowly at the sight. He grabbed a long metal staff and expertly threw it down at the Autobot. The staff went right through the mech's spark, killing him instantly. _

_Megatron laughed at the misfortunate Autobot as it's body crumpled to the ground. _

A song was being blasted out at full volume, which snapped me out of the flashback.

"Baby come back, any kind of fool could see," I heard it coming from outside. I knew that song by heart. I slowly got to my feet and prayed that it wasn't Bumblebee.

Right outside the barn, stood my favorite yellow Camero. I should have been happy that he was there but instead I panicked. He was not even supposed to be there.

I ran up to Bumblebee and said urgently, "What are you doing here?" Bee's hologram stared at me. He looked offended. Probably because I wasn't happy to see him.

"Houston, we have a problem," Bee's radio responded.

"What, a Decepticon problem?" I asked.

"Optimus wished to talk to you, now," Bee said firmly. "He's at the nearby graveyard."

"Graveyard?" I asked. "But that's just a mile away."

"Yes and I won't be driving you."

"Why?"

"I have to get the twins. They drove off somewhere," Bee said as his hologram handed me my rollerblades. I sighed heavily before switched from shoes to rollerblades. I handed my sneakers over to the blond hologram who stared at me worriedly. "Are you ok?" he asked. "You look paler than usual."

'No, I'm not ok,' I thought angrily. I didn't know why I was angry. I just was. At least I didn't say that out loud. Instead, I lied.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I said calmly. Bee did not look convinced, at all. He was about to say something, but I quickly rollerbladed away. I didn't want to hear it.


	5. Meeting at the Graveyard

_Chapter 5 is ready for reading! I made this chapter long so enjoy! Don't forget to review!  
_

_Happy reading/ writing!  
_

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I knew where the graveyard was. When I was a kid I used to come here all the time over the summer. After high school I stopped because I was too old for the camp but I wasn't old enough to volunteer. It's been a few years since I've been here but I still remember where everything was. Every building, tree, and sign was familiar to me.

It took about five minutes of me rollerblading until I saw Sideswipe. He was waiting on the corner of the path. When I passed him, the silver Chevrolet drove beside me. He matched my speed so that he wouldn't run me over. I decided to pick up speed. It felt awkward and a little scary to be rollerblading right next to a moving car, especially a cocky Autobot.

Sadly, Sideswipe took it as a challenge. I saw his hologram grin fiercely at me through the window. The silver Chevrolet zoomed past me suddenly. He narrowly missed hitting me but I did feel him push me to the side. I lost my balance and fell flat onto my face. After laying there for a minute, cursing, I finally stood up. Sideswipe was gone and I was, yet again, alone. My face, arms, and legs stung from the little scratches and cuts I got from the rocks on the ground. Some of the cuts were bleeding slightly. Rage suddenly boiled up inside of me.

"Damn Autobot," I growled. "I would love to see your spark getting ripped out of your chest right now."

Wait? Why did I say that? What's wrong with me? So much anger came out so suddenly, from a little thing like this. Geez.

I shook all the unnecessary anger away. I was already pissy at camp. I do not need to be pissy around my Autobot friends.

I pulled out a long glove, which I always keep in my pocket just incase, and put it onto my burnt hand. 'This time I won't hurt Optimus,' I thought to myself then continued to rollerblade.

It didn't take my long to get to the graveyard. The second I entered it, Sideswipe came up to me in robot mode. He was pleased with himself, as always.

"Beat you," he sneered. His grin quickly faded when he took good look at me. "Why are you covered in scratches?"

I glared at the Autobot and said, "You knocked me down."

"So? I was only playing around and you weren't severely injured," Sideswipe said. "Besides, you're already fully healed." He was right but still. The jerk didn't even bother saying sorry.

Mudflap and stalked up to us. They both glowered at Sideswipe. Bumblebee came out too. His blue eyes looked irritated.

"Yo, Sideswipe! What's wrong with ya!" Mudflap yelled.

"Yeah! Why the hell did ya knock Clare over like that," Skids added angrily.

"Leave him alone," Bee said. He turned back to me and said, "Sorry that Sideswipe knocked you over."

"Sure you are," I grumbled. "What do you guys want?"

"Are you not happy to see us?" I heard Optimus' voice ask. Hearing his deep voice made most of the anger and irritation disappear. I turned and faced the Autobot leader.

"I should be happy but oddly enough I'm not," I said dryly. "I'm just annoyed and tired."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Optimus said gently. He came up to me and knelt down to my level. His glowing blue eyes stared into mine. I could see that he was concerned.

"What?" I asked.

"Sideswipe told me about your eyes turning red," he said darkly.

"Did he now?" I asked lightly. "Are they red right now?" Optimus shook his head no. "Good. So, you wanted to talk to me? Bumblebee said that there's a problem."

"Yes. Just a day ago, Decepticons have been rounding up in a particular spot. Near the Laurentian Abyss. They dispatched when we arrived and regrouped at that very spot when we left."

"We?" I asked.

"NEST," Bee said.

"Ah, of coarse," I said. "Now, what does that have to do with me?"

"I need you to explain to your government about the connection we share. I want them to see how strong our friendship is," Optimus said softly.

"Why?" I asked more irritably. "What does this have to do with the regrouping Decepticons?" I was getting really annoyed by Prime not getting to the point. I hated waiting for him to tell me what was going on.

"Clare, your government wants us to leave Earth," Prime said gravely.

"No! You can't go!" I blurted out.

"I know Clare. But they think that we have brought vengeance upon your planet. Perhaps they are right but I highly doubt that leaving will make the Decepticons leave as well."

"So you want me to persuade the American government to let you stay?"

"Correct."

"You do realize that I'm a teenage girl and that the government is filled with much older men, right?"

"What's your point?" Skids asked.

"My point is that they won't listen to me!" I snapped. The Autobots were all shaken by my sudden anger. I jerked my eyes away from Optimus to Bumblebee. He looked very worried. I felt bad at that moment. Dammit. I did not mean to snap at them. "I'm sorry," I said. "I didn't mean to say it like that."

Optimus transformed into his Peterbilt self. His hot hologram self stepped out and came up to me. Prime cupped one of my cheeks in his hand. His warmth felt so good.

"You're so cold," Optimus murmured."Are you ok?" When I didn't answer, he pulled me against him. I shuddered slightly at his gentle embrace. I'm not really sure why. "Clare, is there something wrong?"

I sighed heavily. I didn't know if it was a big enough deal to tell Optimus or not. Better to be safe than sorry. I leaned into the hologram and said, " Can I talk to you? Alone?" My voice came out shaky. I was a bit nervous about telling him.

Optimus stared at me blankly for a second then nodded at the Autobots. Sideswipe groaned then transformed and drove off. The twins followed reluctantly. Bumblebee came up to me and gently brushed his fingers against my back. I reached out and touched my guardian's large hand.

"Love ya Bee," I said softly.

Bumblebee transformed into his Camero self. His radio turned on and said, "And I want your love, Love-love-love, I want your love, Love-love-love, I want your love." I laughed a little at his song choice as my yellow Camero drove off.

When the coast was clear, I told Optimus about the flashbacks and symbols. His expression blank the whole time, which worried me a little.

"I know nothing about the symbols. As for the flashbacks, I believe that they come from the bond," Optimus said hollowly. I knew that he did not like the fact that I was bound to Megatron. It's not like I enjoyed being bound to an insane killer robot.

"I had a feeling that it was from the bond," I muttered. "But why now? It's been a year and I never had these memories come up before. And he's dead for Christ's sake!"

"I don't know, Clare. I'm sorry," Optimus said.

"God I hate this," I said angrily. I began to rant. "I feel so angry, all the time now. I get irritated so much more easily to the point of actually snapping at everyone. I'm already angry about not being around you and I don't need anymore! And these symbols and flashbacks, are so....disturbing. I feel like I'm going insane!"

Optimus pressed his hand against my mouth, shutting me up completely. His eyes held some anger as he said, "Don't say such things. You are not like Megatron. You are not becoming him."

The hologram moved his hand away from my mouth. He kissed me before I was able to say anything. His kiss was deep and passionate. I forgot everything else at that moment. I wrapped my arms around his neck as he pulled me closer. Prime pushed me against his Peterbilt self. His body rubbed against mine. Both the truck and the hologram had that odd warmth.

I let out a soft moan when Optimus slipped his tongue into my mouth. I loved it. The hologram's hands caressed my body. He was so warm and I felt so cold. I wished that he could hold me like this forever.

Optimus withdrew from my mouth and kissed down my neck. He found my soft spot and began to lick it. I remember the first time he kissed me there. He found it first......then Megatron.

I gasped when the Decepticon popped into my head. Panicked, I pushed Optimus' hologram away. My head began to hurt again. My forehead was pounding. It felt like it was going to explode. My hands immediately went to my head and I, once again, fell to my knees.

"Damn," I groaned. I could see a few symbols pop up in my vision. I tried to shake them away but they wouldn't get out of my sight. "Not again."

Prime gently pulled me back to my feet. I leaned against the truck and continued to rub my aching head.

"Sorry," Optimus said ruefully.

"No, you didn't do anything," I muttered and looked at the hologram. His blue eyes widened in horror. He cupped my face and stared into my eyes. I had a feeling that they were red.

"Your eyes," he whispered. "Sideswipe was right."

The pain in my head intensified suddenly and I began to see more symbols. My vision was clouded so I squeezed my eyes shut. I felt like screaming because the pain was just too much.

"What the hell!?" I roared angrily. Suddenly, all the pain disappeared. I opened my eyes and saw a confused looking hologram. "This is fucking annoying," I growled.

"Calm down, Clare," Optimus said sternly. He didn't approve of me cursing like that. The sudden anger came up again. I glared at the Autobot hologram. He was really irritating. He always tells me what to do and I hate him for that............... wait.

"No," I said to myself. Why am I angry at Prime? He's only trying to help. How could I hate him? Especially for that? "There's no reason to hate," I said out loud.

"What?" Optimus asked.

"Nothing," I said quickly. The anger drifted away and I was able to focus again. "When do you need me for persuasion?"

Optimus stared at me suspiciously. "Clare, I'm getting worried about you," he said darkly.

"Don't dwell on it," I said, trying to keep away from that subject. "Do you want me to talk to the government now, or can it wait after camp?"

The hologram's blue eyes narrowed down at me. Optimus grabbed me by my shoulders and said, "Don't change the subject." He sounded angry.

"I'm just bringing us back to our original subject," I snapped. Optimus and I stared at each other for a minute until I dropped my eyes. "I'm sorry," I whispered. I really was. I didn't know what was wrong with me. A single tear suddenly rolled down my cheek. I didn't even expect it to come out.

"Clare," Optimus whispered.

"I don't want to be mad," I whimpered as I began to cry. "Especially not with you."

**Optimus POV**

Watching Clare tear up like that surprised me. I didn't understand why or how she's having these random mood swings. If it's the bond that's making her like this, then there's a problem. It's unsafe for Clare to have such anger fits. She might do something that she'll regret. But, if it is the bond, why is it affecting her now? Even when Megatron's offline?

I sighed tiredly and pulled Clare into a hug. She quietly shed her tears onto my hologram's chest. After a minute, Clare pulled away from me. She rubbed her tear filled eyes and gave out a tiny laugh.

"Again, I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't mean for this to happen."

"I know," I said gently.

Clare took a step back. Because of her rollerblades, she slipped and fell back into my vehicle mode. Clare laughed abruptly at her clumsy step.

"Wow, I forgot about the rollerblades," she said. Her smile quickly disappeared as she tried to steady herself.

Without saying anything, I gently lifted Clare off her feet. I held her small frame in my arms and gave her a soft kiss on her cheek. I was faintly surprised that Clare wasn't startled by my action, but I let it go.

I opened my passenger door and set the human down on the seat. She didn't look at me or say anything. I sighed and turned away. Clare stopped my hologram from getting out of my vehicle form. I looked back at her. There was longing in her eyes. The same longing I've had for an Earth year.

Clare pulled me down and held me for her kiss. Her lips were so soft but so cold. Her whole body was cold to the touch. For some reason, it reminded me of Megatron. I will never forget the day when I had to offline him. The thought of my brother sent shivers down my frame.

I remember that day vividly. His words echoed in my processor. Megatron said that I was jealous that he was able to touch Clare and I wasn't. I have to admit that I was jealous, but not of what he thinks. I envied the bond between Clare and Megatron.

I wished that I was the one who was bound to her. I wanted to feel her desire and love. I wanted us to share our thoughts and memories with each other. I wanted to be one with her. Megatron, how dare you take her away from me.

I shook the memory of Megatron away. All I wanted to think about now was Clare. There was only Clare.

I laid my hologram self on top of the girl, hoping to bring warmth to her frame. Clare pushed the seat back so that we could lay flat. She tried to scoot herself up a little, but couldn't. Soon, Clare got frustrated and sat up.

"Damn this rollerblades," she muttered.

I gave the girl a light kiss on her neck before sliding down to her feet. I quickly unlaced her rollerblades and pulled them off.

"I could have done it myself," Clare said softly.

"I know," I murmured as I climbed back up to her.

"You know everything don't you?" she asked dryly.

"No," I said simply, "but I want to know everything about my love."

"Your love?" Clare asked baffled. I pressed my lips onto hers.

"You wouldn't mind if I called you 'my love' would you?" I asked.

Clare smiled up at me and said, "Call me whatever you want." My spark swelled with happiness. I loved seeing her smile like that.

The girl pulled me down again and kissed me. Her lips feathered against my hologram's neck. Her hands stroked my body. When I'm using my hologram, I'm more sensitive to touch. The human's gentle caresses felt so good. I let out a groan as she sucked my neck. I love it when she does that.

Suddenly, Clare grabbed onto my hologram's outer skin and pulled it off. At first I was startled by her action but relaxed when she wrapped her arms across my back. She slid down a little and kissed my chest gently.

I noticed that Clare's skin was much warmer, which relieved me. I have missed her warmth, her touch, her voice. I have missed my love.

Soon, desire fully took over and our love making got more rough. Clare moans as my hologram's body rubs against hers. The friction from our movement rucked her shirt up. Her outer skin began to irritate me a little so I pulled it off of her. But then I froze.

Seeing the human's nearly bare body made me realize the mistake I've made. Once again, I've forgotten that Clare still had trauma.

To my surprise, Clare merely stared up at me. She didn't look scared but still. I didn't want to make a wrong move on her. She already has problems and I don't want to create more by getting carried away with her.

"I'm sorry," I said quickly. I was about to get off of her, but Clare pulled me back down. Her lips collided with mine.

"You're not hurting me," she said firmly. Her tone convinced me enough to continue. But I was still hesitant through out the whole time.

I don't know how long we've made love. I was surprised to see Clare being so calm the entire time, especially right after her odd mood swings. She never panicked when I touched her. Was that good or bad?

By the time we were done, it was nearly 4 pm, Earth time. Clare had fallen asleep in my hologram's arms. I held her close and watched her sleep. I could feel my spark's desire for her. I yearned for her more and more. Primus! This has got to stop.

"Clare," I said and gently nudged her. "Wake up."

"Five more minutes," she groaned. I chuckled softly at her retort.

"No Clare. Now," I said a little firmly. "You have to go back to your camp." Clare opened her eyes and looked up at me.

"How long were we here?" she asked.

"A few hours," I said dryly.

"Shit," Clare muttered and sat up. "I hope the camp councilors haven't noticed."

My hologram quickly went offline as she pulled her shirt back on. The human hopped out of my vehicle and pulled her rollerblades back on.

**Clare POV**

I felt so warm and content. Probably because I was with Optimus for god knows how long. I made out with him for hours. It probably wasn't the best thing to do, especially in a graveyard

"Hey Optimus, when do you want me to come? I asked the truck as he transformed into his tall robotic self. "You know, to talk to the government."

"We'll wait until your camp is over," Optimus said with a gentle smile.

I grinned at the Autobot and bladed up to him. "Alright," I said and leaned against his leg. "I love being with you." For some reason, I wanted to let him know that.

"Likewise," he said softly. "Call me if you need anything. I won't be too far."

"You're not going back to your base?"

"Not without you," Optimus purred. The way he said it made my cheeks go red. It's been a while since the last time I blushed. I kinda missed the feeling.

"I hope the others won't be mad," I said.

"They probably will, but I don't care," Optimus said dryly. I laughed at his tone and lightly kissed the mech's leg.

"See ya," I said then rollerbladed away. I forced myself to blade away as fast as I could. Tears blinded me but I didn't stop. Dammit. Why me?


	6. Uncontrollable Rage

_Chapter 6!! I just typed this one and it's not as long as I wanted it to be. But, still, please enjoy the chapter anyway. I'm trying to update as quickly as possible. Thank you for being so patient. Keep up with the reviews!_

_Happy Reading/Writing!_

* * *

By the time I reached my cabin, my legs were aching. I was so tired and I felt like I was going to collapse. My eyes were still teary. I was surprised that I didn't bump into anything.

I sat on the front steps of my cabin. My shoes were put neatly to the side. There was a small note on there that said, "Keep smiling." On the bottom there was a little scribble that looked like a bee. Bumblebee. Seeing the note and drawing made me feel little more happy and my heart feel warmer.

"Thanks Bee," I whispered and quickly switched from rollerblades to sneakers.

But, coming back to camp made me feel lonely again. I haven't made any new friends. How annoying. Looks like this whole camp thing was for no reason then. The rest of this week and next week better go by fast or I'll might as well go crazy.

Leo wasn't around, to my relief. The alien-obsessed bastard was annoying. He was probably stalking Alice or some other girl right now. Caitlin was either busy volunteering or hanging with her new friends.

There was nothing else to do so I decided to go to the cafeteria cabin. I missed lunch so I was hungry. No starving. How odd. I haven't been skipping any meals lately. Oh well.

When I entered the cabin, I noticed that it was empty. I felt a cold shiver run down my spine. There was someone else in here. My eyes scanned the so-called deserted cabin until they settled onto the far corner. A girl with long blond hair stood there. Alice.

I growled a little to myself. Alice smiled and came over to me. I decided to ignore her presence. I grabbed a tray and piled some food on in: a couple slices of pizza, a can of coke, a banana, and a piece of brownie cake. The girl followed me as I quickly walked to the far table and sat down.

I ate pretty quickly. I was, after all, hungry and I just wanted to get out of there. Alice was smirking at me the whole time. I tried to keep my cool as I was finishing my cake. She scooted closer to me until her arm was touching mine. Finally, I lost my tolerance and slammed a fist down onto the table.

"What the fuck do you want!?" I yelled.

Alice's smile merely widened. She wasn't fazed by my anger. "I just want to get to know you," she said softly. Alice placed her hand on my shoulder.

I stared at the cleaned fork in my hand. "Get your hand off of my shoulder or I'll stick this fork in your eye," I threatened lowly. I really wanted to do it. It took a lot of self control not to though.

Alice sneered and grabbed me by my shirt. "Let's play," she said lustfully and roughly pushed me down onto the bench. Her voice wasn't as good as Megatron's, but hearing "let's play" will always scare me no matter who says it.

Alice straddled across my stomach, her underwear in full view. She weighed a ton! What did this girl eat? I felt like I was being crushed.

The girl leaned down towards me. She was still smiling and I was still glowering. Alice gently feathered her lips over mine before kissing me full in the mouth. At that very moment, I snapped.

"Enough!" I roared. My hand shot up and snatched Alice's blond hair. She gave out a loud shriek as I yanked at her hair and pulled her off of me. Alice still had a hold on my shirt so she pulled me down to the ground with her. I angrily jerked her away and tried to stand up. But Alice pounced on me and pinned me down.

"There's no need to run, is there?" Alice murmured into my ear. Megatron's hologram flashed into my mind. He said that too. I froze as the whole memory ran through my head. I felt helpless, like now. I allowed Megatron to take me, just like now with Alice.

Alice rubbed her body against mine. Her mouth was on my neck. Her lips were lightly kissing my skin. 'No,' I thought angrily. 'Not again. Not with her!' The same uncontrollable fury washed through me again.

Without holding back, I shoved my fist into the girl's face. She gave out a little wail and fell off of me. I was about to stand up but Alice held me down, yet again. This time, I fought back. I pushed and tugged her off of me while Alice tried to hold me down. We both wrestled each other for some time. Each second I got more and more brutal. I started to punch her face until she fell off of me.

After a while, I began to actually beat the girl down. I was on my feet by then, kicking and stomping down on her body. Alice fought back but only in self defense. It didn't seem like she was trying to hurt me. But that didn't stop me from kicking her guts out. I realized that I was enjoying this. I was even smiling.

I stopped abruptly and stared down at the beaten up girl. She was curled up in a ball and shaking. I could hear small whimpers. I could see some....blood. Oh god. Sickness and guilt began to plague my heart.

"What the hell," I whispered in disbelief. "This isn't me."

Slowly, I backed away from the girl until my back hit the door. I stood there staring at Alice for a minute before bolting out the door. Caitlin was right outside.

"Oh hey Clare!" she said cheerfully. "I've been looking for you everywhere."

I shook my head and whimpered. "No! Stay away from me," I said in a panicked tone. "I don't want to be like this!"

Caitlin's eyes widened in horror. "Clare, your eyes are red," she said in a hollow voice. She looked down at my hands and gasped. My eyes followed her gaze. My soul sank down even lower. Blood was all over my knuckles. Now I felt even more sick and disturbed. My body began to tremble a little. "What's wrong?" Caitlin whispered.

"Nothing!" I snapped. Guilt was quickly replaced by rage. "It's none of your damn business anyway." I was about to walk away but Caitlin grabbed my arm.

"Hey! I'm only trying to help!" she snapped back.

My eyes narrowed down at Caitlin's hand. I jerked away but Caitlin still held on.

"Let go," I said darkly.

"No," Caitlin said. Her tone was firm. "Something's obviously wrong with you. Tell me or I'm telling Optimus."

"Are you seriously going to use Optimus against me?" I asked. My voice was calm and dark. I could see fear in Caitlin's eyes which pleased me.

"Clare, you know I can call him," Caitlin said a little shakily.

"I won't let you call him," I said. I didn't want Optimus to see me like this anymore. I didn't want any damn Autobot to see me like this. "Now, let go."

"I'm not letting go Clare."

"I said LET GO!!" I roared. My mind went blank as I roughly shoved Caitlin away. Caitlin lost her balance and fell down the cabin steps. I watched as the girl shrieked and tumbled down the stairs. I heard a sickening snap which made me freeze. 'Oh god,' I thought frantically. 'What did I just do?'

Caitlin laid at the bottom step, whimpering. She was holding onto her left arm. Her left wrist was bent and twisted. I ran down towards my fallen friend. I was panicked.

"Help," I said out loud. "Help! Somebody help!" I began to yell out for somebody to help. A few people ran away, presumably to go get someone.

"You bitch," I heard Caitlin growl. She was crying, but her eyes were furious. "I don't even know you anymore."

A wicked smile formed onto my face. I stared down at the pathetic girl. "I told you to let go," I said softly.

Finally, a camp counselor ran up to us. "What happened?" he asked urgently.

"I don't know," I lied. "I heard a scream and saw her laying here. I think her wrist is broken."

Caitlin obviously knew I was lying, but she didn't say anything. Instead, she stared at me in disbelief. The camp counselor glanced at Caitlin then back at me. He gingerly picked Caitlin up and carried her away. I could see that Caitlin was glaring at me. I grinned at the pathetic girl and waved goodbye to her, but stopped. 'What the fuck is the matter with me!?' I thought.

I quickly ran back to my cabin before anyone came up to me. I knew that people saw me. I was guilty, and they knew it. Damn it. Damn it all!

When I got back to my cabin, I locked the door and turned off all the lights. My arms wrapped themselves around my body. I could feel myself rock back and forth slightly.

"You're wrong Optimus," I whispered. "I am like Megatron."

My eyes went to the little mirror on the far table. I walked up to it and stared at my reflection. My eyes were blazing red, like Megatron's. I missed looking into those cruel blood red eyes of his. I even missed his cold touch that always made me shiver.

"Stop it!" I yelled at myself. I felt confused. I didn't understand my feelings, couldn't understand. Way too much happened today, one after another. I couldn't take it.

I plopped down onto my bed after I kicked my shoes off. I closed my eyes and prayed for Caitlin. Hoped that I'll get better. Wished that Optimus and Bumblebee were here. Those few hours with Optimus wasn't enough. I wanted both Prime and Bee to hold me. I wanted their warmth to surround me.

"Optimus. Bumblebee," I whimpered. "Please don't leave Earth. I need you both." I began to cry as I kept on saying all the Autobots names. Each one was special to me, and I loved them all. I don't want any of them to leave. Soon, after crying out each name a few times, I fell asleep.

"_Time is short young one," a familiar voice whispered. _

"_You must hurry," another said._

_Once again, I was in the middle of the dark desert. The familiar_ _six ancient robots surrounded me. _

"_Find the Matrix before it is too late," one said. _

"_Use the knowledge. Use it wisely." _

My eyes shot open. I sat up and rubbed my aching forehead. "What do you want me to do?" I asked out loud. "Can you at least tell me what the Matrix is?" I glanced at the clock. It was 10pm. I was asleep for about five hours. How annoying.

I realized that I was shivering. I was freezing. How does that happen in summer? Sadly, I had no sweatshirts with me. Dammit, again.

I got out of bed and pulled my shoes back on. After unlocking the door, I strolled out into the woods. I needed to clear my head.

It was dark and very quiet. Just how I like it. Sadly, I was still shivering. I felt more and more cold with each step. But I didn't stop. I continued to walk deeper and deeper into the forest, not knowing where I'm going. In the darkness, I could still see everything, even........symbols?

The migraine came up again. I yelped a little at the pain and leaned against the nearest tree. I clenched at my hair. Suddenly, my mind began to fill with different memories. Megatron.

_Optimus Prime and Megatron stood together on a balcony. They were both watching a peaceful Cybertronian city together. The two leaders were both content._

Another memory jumped in.

_The Seeker fell to the floor abruptly. He was receiving a beating from his lord. _

"_Failure is unacceptable Starscream," Megatron growled at his second._

"_I'm sorry my lord. Please forgive me," the mech called Starscream whimpered. Megatron ignored his plea and grabbed the Seeker by the throat. _

A third memory interrupted the last one.

_A man with silver hair was leaning a human girl over a bathroom counter. He pulled her pants down, making the girl panic. Then he pulls down her underwear. The girl begs for him to stop._

_"No. Please stop," she begged. "Lord Megatron, please don't."_

_"Beg all you want, human," I growled back. "It won't change my decision. I haven't fully quenched my lust yet."_

_The human girl lets out a scream as the man thrusts himself into her. _

The flashback ended with me screaming. I fell to my hands and knees. Sweat trickled down my forehead. My breathing came out in gasps. My heart was racing with fear. Tears were slowly coming down from my eyes. My throat and chest were tight from panic.

The memories of Megatron and me were too much. I was still having panic attacks every time I have those memories. Damn it. These panic attacks always take a lot out of me. When am I ever going to calm the hell down?

I tried to forget about the third memory. Instead I thought back to the first two. I noticed the Optimus and Starscream looked very....different. They looked more alien. I realized that's how they looked like before they came to Earth. It made me wonder how the others looked.

My thoughts were interrupted when I heard something behind me. It was a low growl-like sound, almost animalistic and yet robotic. I jumped to my feet and backed away from the sound.

"Please, go away," I said in a rightfully panicked tone. "Leave me alone!"

A creature slowly stepped out from behind a tree. It was a robot for sure but it was shaped like a giant cat. It looked like a jaguar with one eye. It was armed with razor sharp claws and teeth.

The jaguar thing snapped it's jaws and began to pace in front of me. A name came into my mind: Soundwave. This thing wasn't Soundwave, but was sent by him. How I knew that, I had no clue.

The robotic jaguar continued to pace back and forth. It's eye was on me. It growled every time I made a move. I was it's prey.

Irritation quickly overshadowed my fear. I was on no mood to be this thing's target. Without thinking, I bolted at full speed towards the opposite direction. My adrenaline went up causing my to speed increased.

I didn't know where I was going, nor did I really care at the moment. All I wanted was to get away from the mechanical cat. I just ran, for god knows how long.

To my disheartenment, the mysterious symbols came out before my eyes yet again. I didn't want to risk running into a tree, so I stopped running. I shook my head, hoping that will get the symbols out.

When my vision became normal, I realized that I was in the middle of a road. A highway to be more specific. How the hell did I get here?

A light suddenly blinded me and I screamed.

"Move it ya bitch!" someone yelled. I opened my eyes and saw a car right in front of me. The driver was cursing at me and honking his horn.

I moved out of the car's way and let him pass. The driver flicked me off as he passed. I didn't really care. I was too wary of my surroundings to care.

A low growl came from behind me again. I began to run again. After quickly dodging car after car, I managed to cross the highway. As a result, I ended up in a forest yet again. I continued to sprint deep into the wilderness and preyed that the jaguar had stopped chasing me.

After a while of running, I finally stopped. I was breathing heavily. My chest and legs ached. I was exhausted. I tried my best to see and hear everything around me. To my relief, nothing.

Then suddenly, something cold and hand landed right onto my back. The thing was so heavy that I fell forward. My face went right into the dirt. I scrambled to get up but couldn't. Whatever pounced on me, hit my head and knocked my out completely.


	7. Resurrection

_Chapter 7!! Wow, already so close to ten! I put in some more movie quotes in here so enjoy! Don't forget to review!!!_

_Happy reading/writing_

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I woke up, not knowing where I was. The sun was blinding and it made my aching head hurt even more. My body felt heavy. Something was on top of me. I realized that I was not in the forest anymore. Large cargo boxes lay next to me along with a big green machine. What the hell? I soon heard water splashing. I could smell the saltiness of an ocean. I was on a cargo ship, in the middle of the ocean. Shit. Damn. Fuck.

Whatever was on me jumped off. It was the jaguar. It glanced at me then walked away. I slowly sat up. My body hurt and was very stiff. My head began to spin so I leaned against the green machine, which I realized was a Dump truck.

To my surprise, the Dump truck shuddered and backed away from me. I had a very bad feeling when I saw a Bulldozer, a Cement mixer, and a Excavator creeping up towards me. All of the construction machines, to my horror, transformed. Even the green Dump truck. 'Oh shit,' was the first thing that came to mind.

The yellow construction robot, which I noticed was the Excavator, stared at me then at the buff green transformer behind me. It pointed at the green 'bot and said, "Now that is repulsive."

I looked up at the green 'bot and saw red stuff smeared onto it's chest. I placed my hand onto the back of my head and winced at the pain. When I looked back at my hand, I saw blood.

"Really?" I asked myself out loud.

The grey Cement mixer looked down at me. "It spoke," the grey mech said dangerously. I don't think he liked the idea of me making any sound. I could see the Decepticon logo on one of the grey 'bot's four shields. 'Double shit,' I thought.

The red Bulldozer stalked up to us, completely avoiding to look at me. "We're in position. It's time to resurrect our lord," he growled.

My heart skipped a beat. 'Please god,' I pleaded in my head. 'Not him. Not Megatron."

"Long Haul, take the fleshling," the Bulldozer said.

"Why me? Why can't Scrapmetal or Mixmaster do it?!?" the green one roared and pointed at the Excavator and Cement Mixer. I assumed Mixmaster was the Cement Mixer and Scrapmetal was the Excavator. It made sense, to me anyway.

"Because you are already contaminated by it," the yellow Excavator, or Scrapmetal, retorted. I couldn't help but roll my eyes at the answer. It was a pathetic excuse, really.

The one called Long Haul growled something under his breath. His red eyes flickered down to me. I flinched a little at his angry stare. After a moment, the green mech reached down and roughly grabbed me.

"I await the moment when I'll be able to kill you, human," Long Haul snarled in my face. Great. I've made a new friend.

With that said, Long Haul stalked towards the edge of the ship. The other mechs followed silently. No land was in sight. Dammit. I was way out in the middle of a random ocean.

The jaguar quickly sprinted to the edge then dived into the ocean. I stared at the water. I hated water. I hated swimming. I looked back at the green 'bot who was holding me in a surprisingly unpainful grip. He was glaring at me, though. No surprise there.

"Uh...I'm not going in there, right?" I asked the Decepticons, shakily. "I won't be able to breath."

"No you won't puny human," the Bulldozer said. "But you'll be able to hold your breath."

"We are aware of the energon that runs through your disgusting body," Scrapmetal grumbled. "You'll be able to hold your breath underwater for a while before you drown." Scrapmetal sounded pleasant when he said drown, so I was scared.

"It will take no less than five Earth minutes," the Bulldozer added dryly. "So, you better last for that long." After a couple minutes of silence, the Bulldozer spoke again, "Alright, let's go."

"Hey, why are you in charge anyway, Rampage?" Mixmaster asked irritably. The Bulldozer called Rampage, angrily shoved Mixmaster into the water then went in himself. I noticed that he didn't have any legs. Instead, his lower half looked like a drill. If he wasn't evil, I would have thought that he looked cool.

Scrapmetal silently jumped into the water as well. Long Haul's grip on me tightened before he leaped into the ocean.

The water was deathly cold. I became less worried about drowning and more worried about freezing to death. I couldn't see very well under water because it was very dark, until all the Decepticons turned their lights on. But it was still hard to focus and see.

At first, holding my breath wasn't too hard. But that all changed when Long Haul dragged me down deeper into the sea. He was going down at a very fast speed. Soon the water pressure began to build up around me.

Because of the water pressure crushing my body, holding my breath was very difficult. And yet, somehow I managed to do it. I had to clamp my hand onto my mouth and nose to keep me from inhaling. Even with the almost blinding lights, my vision came and went. I felt the water pressure squeezing my organs and body painfully. I was surprised that I didn't loose my consciousness yet.

After just a couple minutes, which felt like an eternity, holding my breath felt impossible. I began to struggle a little against Long Haul's grip until he let me go. The jaguar swam up to me, grabbed onto my shirt with it's teeth, then dragged me deeper into the abys.

Finally I saw the sea floor. 'How am I still alive?' I thought. I was confused and yet amazed that I was able to survive in these extreme conditions for so long. My thoughts were interrupted when I saw a large figure laying on the floor. It was a silver robot with a grotesque looking face. Megatron. I began to panic and pulled away from the jaguar's grip.

The jaguar released my shirt, to my surprise. Freedom! But sadly, my freedom didn't last long. The large mechanical cat bit down onto my arm and once again, hauled me down. The pain in my arm wasn't as intense as I thought it would be. I was probably going numb at this moment.

The jaguar's chest opened and a little shrimp-like mech came out. I was pinned down onto Megatron's cold body by the feline mech. I couldn't help but shudder at the touch. The cold to his body stood out even from under freezing cold water.

The little shrimp thing crawled up onto Megatron's chest. It stared at all the other Decepticons, who surrounded their dead lord.

"Need parts," the shrimp mech said in a German accent. "Kill ze little one!" He pointed at, I think it was Scrapmetal.

The Decepticons didn't hesitate as they ganged up against one of their own. They beat down Scrapmetal, who let out a muffled wail, and tore him apart. I almost felt sorry for the mech but, then again, he was a Decepticon.

The remaining Decepticons transferred the limbs of their fallen ally to Megatron's body. I forgot that he was missing a few limbs. Suddenly, the jaguar got off of me and pulled me towards Megatron's chest.

"Ze girl make energon," the shrimp roared and rubbed it's tiny claws together. The little evil bastard. The jaguar shoved me down onto Megatron's chest. My arm and chest throbbed with pain. Even in my bad vision, I was able to see the symbols. Damn it.

I felt someone rip my glove off. Now I began to panic even more. I tore away from whoever was holding onto me. As a result, half of the skin from my arm tore off. Again, I didn't feel the pain. But the pressure from the water was too much. I finally gave up and inhaled. Water quickly rushed into my lungs as something grabbed my burnt arm and forced me to touch something.

Energy was building up in my arm and my chest exploded with pain. The symbols disappeared, but were replaced by flashbacks. Lots of them. Too many to count or understand. Each overlapping one another. All from Megatron.

My mind couldn't take the flashbacks. My body couldn't take the pain, the pressure, the water, and the build up of energy all at the same time.

Suddenly, all of that energy was released and went into whatever I was touching. My body felt numb and I was losing my conscience. Before I blacked out, I saw a pair of familiar glowing red eyes.

**Megatron POV**

My systems came online. My frame jerked at the sudden jolt of energon entering my spark. I was alive. Reborn. I felt different, physically. My servo's were completely different but I felt much more stronger.

The first thing I saw when my optics came online was a human. And not just any human. My belovedlittle pet. She has revived me yet again. But, she looked dead. Anger swelled into my spark. She can't die. Not yet!

I grabbed the human and held her close to my spark. I could feel her human heart. It was beating very slowly at first. Soon, her heart was beating normally. Because of the bond we have, holding her close to my spark can help her survive. She should be grateful to be bound to me, since I'm allowing her to survive.

My spark suddenly ached. I could feel my desire for her grow. I lusted for this wretched human. I wanted to taste her flesh and blood. I yearned to hold her warm body against mine. But now is not the place nor time for that.

Quickly, I got to my feet and leaped up. My newly acquired jets came online. They allowed me to soar through the watereasily. I realized that my Decepticon minions were following my lead. I didn't really mind them at the moment. They could have stayed down there and rust for all I cared.

Suddenly, an underwater vehicle came into my path. The object was called a submarine. It was a vehicle made by the humans and was obviously filled with them. Disgusting.

A sudden grin played over my face as I came closer to the submarine. I picked up speed and soared faster and faster towards it. I didn't hold back when I crashed right through the vehicle. It broke so easily. I felt satisfied when the vehicle began sink. Thinking about the pitiful lives disappearing in that vessel made me laugh.

Finally, I reached the surface. I burst through the water and flew into the sky. I stopped and merely floated in mid-air thanks to my jets. I looked down at the human in my hand. She wasn't moving. I could feel her heart beating but she wasn't breathing. I didn't really understand why. I nudged her with my talon. She felt cold. How odd.

Suddenly, the human's eyes shot open. Her frame shook as she turned herself over. Water spilled out of her mouth. I watched as she emptied herself. I was slightly repulsed by the amount of water that was in her chassis, but I didn't dwell on it for too long.

When the human was done unloading herself, she coughed a few times then, to my surprise, passed out. 'She didn't even notice me,' I thought angrily. I felt a little irritated by it.

My anger increased when I noticed blood on the human's arm. A large piece of flash has been torn off from it. No one harms my pet, other than me.

I brought her closer to my visage and ran my glossa over her bloody arm. Her blood tasted of energon, just like before. Magnificent. My desire and lust grew as I continued to clean the red lubricant off of her. Oh how I wanted to touch her naked body.

All of a sudden, I was beginning to get odd flashbacks. None of which were mine. So, I assumed they were from my pet. I suddenly knew who her family members were and what they looked like. Same with her human friends. All of these memories and information might be useful to me. A flashback interrupted my thoughts.

_A very young girl stood in front of a black coffin. It was her father's funeral. She was wearing black, along with every other human around her. _

_A much older human male walked up to her. He wrapped his arms around her small body and hugged her. _

"_Your father wanted me to give this to you," he said to the girl and handed her a small rock. The rock had symbols on it. The All spark fragment. "It's for good luck."_

The flashback skipped foreword a few hours.

_The little girl was holding the shard. Her small fingers traced the symbols imbedded in it. Suddenly, the shard began to glow. The little girl dropped the shard and stepped back. A woman behind bumped into the girl, causing her to fall over. _

_The girl lands on to shard. She screams out in pain as the shard burns through her black dress and onto her skin. She has been marked. _

I made the flashback stop abruptly, and I was able to focus again. Thankfully, I was capable of stopping her flashbacks at will. Looking at the girl's past was a bore. I knew that the human can't do the same. A human's mind is weak like that.

I decided to find some earth to land on. Finally, I spotted some. My Decepticon minions were also there. I flew down and landed near the Constructicons. Rampage and the others came up to me.

"Good to see you back online, my lord," Rampage said.

"Mute it," I growled as I laid the human onto the ground. She was breathing normally now and her wounds were fully healed. I was relived but I didn't really understand why.

Long Haul stalked up to me and grabbed my pet. He began to squeeze her frame and snarled, "Time to die, fleshling."

I snatched my human back and kicked Long Haul away. I glared at all the Constructicons and I held my pet closer to me.

"No one shall touch her!" I roared. "She is mine."All the Decepticons stared at me in confusion.

"But, my lord," Mixmaster stuttered. "She's a human."

"I am well aware of what she is," I snapped. I startlingly realized that I had to report back to my........master. And say hello to my second in command. I turned back to the Constructicons. "Take the human back to where she was found," I said. "If any of you harm her in any way, I will personally tear your spark out. And mark my words, it will be painful."

I didn't wait for them to answer. I quickly transformed into my new alternative mode, which was a Cybertronian tank and jet combo. Interesting. Without saying another word to my Decepticons, I flew off into deep space.

It didn't take me too long to get to Cybertron's moon. Nemesis, my Decepticon ship was there along with Starscream and the Fallen.

When I entered the Nemesis, I transformed back into my robot mode and landed.

"Starscream," I called out. "I'm home."

The seeker came out from the depths of the ship.

"Lord Megatron! I was so relieved to hear of your resurrection," Starscream said as he knelt down in front of me.

I hooked one of my talons under my second's chin and pulled his visage up towards me. Starscream avoided my gaze as I said, "You left me to die on that pathetic insect planet." My voice came out dark and bitter.

"Only to help spawn our new army. The Fallen decrees it!" Starscream said nervously. He stroked my arm and leg gently. "After all, in your absence, _someone_ had to take command."

I growled at the Seeker angrily. How dare he. Without hesitation, I kneed Starscream right in his face. He flew back and crashed into a wall the had protoform sacks on it. But I wasn't through yet. I wrapped my talons around Starscream's throat and pushed him roughly against the wall.

"So disappointing," I growled lowly.

"Hatchlings. Hatchlings! Careful. Fragile!" Starscream gasped. I ignored him and went on.

"Even in death there is no command but mine."

One of the protoforms broke out of it's sack, slid onto Starscream, then fell to the ground. I glared at the pitiful thing in disgust as it died. I didn't bother saying anything to Starscream about it when I released him. Instead, I went to the deepest area of Nemesis.

"My master. I have failed you on Earth. The All Spark has been destroyed," I said to the figure sitting in a life chair. "But somehow, all the information has been absorbed into a human child."

The Fallen slowly turned his head towards me. He couldn't get up in his weakened state. His red optics were a little dim but they still held anger. I didn't really care if he was angry with me.

"Yes. Your little human slave. She holds the secrets to Earth's end," my master growled.

I felt a little irritated when he called her my slave. I never really liked the Fallen, even though he taught me a lot. I never liked the idea of him being my master. I only serve him for one purpose, to become a Prime.

"I shall go back and find the other energon source as long as you keep your word," I said to the Fallen.

"Of coarse, my pupil. I have the power to make you a Prime," he said. "But you have to get rid of the Prime that still remains."

"Optimus," I purred his name. "He protects the girl."

"Then the girl will lead us to him."

Starscream appeared next to me and said, "We know the girl's location. She will not escape out clutches!" I realized that he was holding another dead protoform. "Without more energon, the hatchlings will keep dying."

"Yes," the Fallen murmured then turned back to me. "Killing the last Prime will move a great obstacle in our plan. When he's out of the way, I'll be able to destroy that wretched planet. Now go and use that slave of yours for our well being."

I bowed stiffly to the fallen and left with Starscream by my side. We both stalked silently towards the ship's exit. The Seeker dropped the dead hatchling along the way.

I was about to transform into my vehicle mode but stopped. My talons raked against my chest plates, just over my spark chamber. Desire filled my circuits once again. I just couldn't wait to see my little pet again.

"Sire?" Starscream asked nervously, interrupting my thoughts. "Aren't you coming?"

"Yes, I'm coming," I said darkly.

My Seeker gave me a wary look. "What do you plan on doing to the girl?" he asked.

A wicked smile formed on my face plates when I answered, "I'm going to play a little with her."

With that said, I finally transformed into my alterative mode. Starscream followed silently then we both flew towards Earth.


	8. A Dark Confrontation

_Finally Chapter 8! Again, I'm sorry for not posting this sooner. I've been very busy. I made this chapter a little long so enjoy. :)  
_

_Happy reading and writing!  
_

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* * *

Clare POV**

**Thursday**

My eyes shot open and I sat up in bed. I was in my cabin. The sun's rays were streaming into the cabin through the blinds. I checked my clock. It was 1 pm, on a Thursday.

"Damn, way too late," I muttered. I sat up in bed and began to stretch but stopped. Wait. Thursday? I rechecked the clock. "But yesterday was Tuesday," I said to myself.

I tried to think about what happened yesterday. All I could remember is what happened on Tuesday: being with Optimus, beating down Alice, and pushing....Caitlin.

My head began to hurt again. No flashbacks or symbols came, but I did remember random things from my childhood. Like when I went to my dad's funeral and how I got burned by the All Spark shard.

I rubbed my aching forehead. "I think I need therapy," I muttered.

I shook the thought away and tried my best to remember anything else. There was something, I just know it. But it was all a blur. I thought it had something to do with water, but I wasn't sure. Maybe I was just asleep for the whole day on Wednesday. I_ was _stressed from everything the happened on Tuesday so it sorta made sense. Not really.

I decided to forget about the whole thing and got out of bed. My clothes from the other day were still on but they smelled, bad. No, I smelled bad. Damn.

I quickly took a shower and scrubbed myself clean. I finally felt refreshed when I pulled clean clothes on. After that was all done, I went to the cafeteria. Thankfully, there were people in it. No Alice or Caitlin though. Thank the lord. I ate a quick bowl of cereal then headed off towards the stables.

For some reason, my legs were a little stiff. I didn't understand why. This day was already very weird. At least the walk to the stables wasn't long.

When I got there, I didn't see my Smokey outside in any of the paddocks. He's probably stomping around in his stall. I laughed at the thought of Smokey snorting irritably at everyone, as if begging them to let him out. Poor boy.

The second I went into the stables, I froze. I saw Caitlin. She was stroking her favorite horse Chance, who was a bigger, more stubborn, version of Smokey. He was also a cutie.

Caitlin glanced at me then frowned. My eyes dropped down and I saw a cast that covered her left wrist and hand. Once against guilt plagued my heart. Damn it. Damn myself.

To my great surprise, Caitlin spoke. "Hi Clare," she said in a low voice. It sounded almost cold, which was completely understandable.

"Hi Caitlin," I said quickly then turned away. Bad idea. Caitlin never liked anyone who turns their back to her.

Something roughly shoved me to the ground. I fell face down. It was pretty obvious that it was Caitlin who pushed me down. It didn't hurt, but I wished that it did. But I didn't expect being pushed down. I thought Caitlin was going to attack me with a knife instead.

Without saying anything or looking at Caitlin, I got to my feet and continued to walk away.

"Wait!" Caitlin yelled.

I turned back to her. Tears of guilt flooded my eyes. "I'm so sorry Caitlin," I whispered. "I really did not mean any of that."

Caitlin stared at me suspiciously for a second. She didn't say anything to me, which made me cry even more. My pained legs suddenly gave out from under me and I fell to my knees.

"I don't know what's happening to me!" I blurted out. "I really hate myself for snapping at you and hurting you. I don't know why I'm suddenly like this." I began to blabber out as I always do when I'm crying hysterically.

When I finally was able to calm down a little, Caitlin pulled me to my feet then stepped back. She was a little cautious of being close to me, which I didn't mind. But her eyes changed entirely. At first she looked angry and betrayed but now she looked concerned.

"Just tell me what's wrong," she said a little darkly.

I began to tell her about my eyes changing color, which she already witnessed. Then I told her about snapping at Optimus and about me not remembering what happened yesterday.

"Is that all?" Caitlin asked.

"Yes," I lied.

"Clare. Come on. I'm not stupid," she said angrily.

"Well, there is a little problem with this freaky girl named Alice," I said. "She keeps flirting with me. She even pounced on me and tried to kiss me."

Caitlin stared at me incredulously. "Weird," she breathed. She clearly couldn't think of anything else better to say. "Anything else?"

"There's also the issue of my visions," I said dryly.

"Visions?" Caitlin repeated.

"Yeah, of symbols and of these ancient looking robots who keep mentioning the Fallen."

"What's the Fallen?"

I shrugged hopelessly. Caitlin's face hardened.

"You better not be lying," she said..

"I'm not," I said. "Seriously. I have no idea who or what the Fallen is."

Caitlin sighed heavily and pondered for a second. The second felt like forever to me, but then again, the past few days felt like forever. Maybe I was going through depression or something. Finally Caitlin turned back to me.

"Ok. I know that you didn't mean pushing me down that day. And that you weren't exactly yourself either. So, I somewhat forgive you," she said tiredly. I stared at her in disbelief. She actually forgives me? Even a little?

"Really?" I asked her. "You're not mad?"

"Oh no. I'm furious," she said. "You broke my wrist. And that's an unforgivable act. But I had a feeling that...that wasn't you. Just be thankful that I'm right handed."

"I'm just thankful that I have an amazing friend like you," I said. I wanted to hug my friend, but I knew that she was still pissed. It would probably be bad to touch her in any way right now. "How am I going to get you to fully forgive me?"

Caitlin looked up thoughtfully. Without warning, she shoved me into the ground again. This time it hurt. I landed painfully on my back. The wind was knocked right out of me.

"Ok," I said, still wheezing. "I.....deserved......that."

Caitlin snickered. "Now we're even and you're forgiven." She helped me back up to my feet then we both headed towards her cabin.

During the way, Caitlin told me that her wrist, though broken, wasn't too serious. According to the doctor, it will heal in about a week. Relief washed through me but it still didn't help the guilt. I still hated myself for losing myself to the anger.

We arrived at Caitlin's cabin, which I noticed was a little larger than mine. Oh well. I still had it all to myself. When we entered, I saw a few girls inside. Oh geez.

"Hey Caitlin," one of them said but looked at me then frowned. "Who's that?" By her tone, I could tell that she was a snobby bitch. Wonderful. The rest of the girls also stared at me warily. The atmosphere became tense.

"Oh, uh. This is the girl I was talking about. Her name is Clare," Caitlin said nervously.

"Uh......hey," I said and gave the girls a small smile.

"So it this the bitch who pushed you down the stairs a couple days ago?" the same snobby girl asked. So she's the ring leader huh? Even more wonderful.

"She didn't push me," Caitlin said hotly. 'Uh yeah I did,' I thought absently. As if she read my mind, Caitlin added, "At least not on purpose."

"Whatever," the girl said a stalked out the door. The other girls followed, giving me harsh looks while exiting. On of the girls shoved me aside while exiting. It took a lot of self control to not shove back, harder. I did not want to break someone else's wrist......at the moment.

Caitlin and I stood together in the empty cabin. Well, it wasn't completely empty. There was something else in here, watching us. I got irritated right away. I disliked playing games with these intruders.

"I'm sorry Clare," Caitlin said quietly.

"Hush," I muttered. My eyes scanned the entire room. To my dismay, parts of it was littered with clothes.

Suddenly, I heard something. I jerked my gaze to the nearest bed. A little blue toy truck crept out from behind the bed. It must have realized that I saw it because it quickly retreated back into it's hiding spot.

"Caitlin, close the door," I said darkly without moving my eyes from the bed. She did without question.

I was about to pull be glove off but I realized that I didn't have one on. I thought I had it on while I went to sleep. Weird. While my mind was slightly distracted, the small truck zoomed out and headed towards Caitlin. My friends shrieked as the truck transformed and pounced onto her. The little robot looked like a blue demented version of Wall-E. Well, I'm never going to watch that movie again.

"Hey!" I yelled at the blue toy. "Get off of my friend!" Anger surged through my body as I watched the robot grab onto Caitlin's hair.

"If you come with me then I'll let go of your little friend," it sneered at me.

I glared down at the tiny mech. I wasn't afraid. Not of this little whelp. I quickly stalked up to it. Before the mech could do anything, I grabbed onto it's neck with my burnt hand. I let energy leak out and stun the little 'bot. It gave out a little scream as I pinned it up against a wall. My eyes dropped down to the little night table to the side. A pair of large scissors were laying on top of it. I quickly transferred the little 'bot to my left had. Twisted thoughts popped into my mind as I grabbed the scissors.

"Ahhh! Let me go human!" the 'bot yelled. It thrashed around in my grip. It began to claw at my arm, slicing up my skin. Surprisingly I didn't really feel anything.

"I'll let you go if you tell me what you want," I said. My voice was calm and dark.

"HA! Not gonna happen," it roared.

My eyes narrowed down at the little robot. My mind went blank for a second. Without thinking, I plunged the scissors into the bot's left eye. The mini Decepticon shrilled with pain as I twisted the scissors around in his eye socket. A smirk played over my face as I watched the pitiful creature cry out and try to hold his eye.

"That was my eye, you crazy bitch!" he wailed.

"Care to talk now?" I asked playfully. I was still smiling which disturbed me deep inside.

"The Fallen wants you! He sent me to keep an eye on you," the bot said as he clumsily put in a blue replacement eye.

"What does that Fallen want me for? Who it hell is the Fallen!?" I yelled impatiently.

"You want to know? Then come with me!" he said back. I growled angrily and smashed the little 'bot against the wall harder. "Easy warrior goddess. I'm trying to avoid getting wacked by the other Decepticons. I'm just a pile of scrap metal."

"Oh yeah?" I asked a little breathlessly. I eyed a little suitcase a few feet away. It was opened. I slipped the scissors into my pocket and glared back at the little mech. "And I'm your worst nightmare," I growled and dragged the tiny robot into the suitcase then quickly zipped it up.

I stood there panting. A low chuckle escaped from my throat as I listened to the pitiful thing scream. It felt so good when I penetrated his eye with the scissors. Hearing his shriek was amazing.

"Clare, you're bleeding," Caitlin said nervously which brought me back to reality. I glanced down at my arm. Little trickles of blood ran down my arm from where the cuts the little 'bot gave to me. But I noticed that they were already healing, so it really wasn't a big deal.

Caitlin ran to the bathroom then came back out with a wet washcloth. She dragged me to her bed and pushed me down to sit. I didn't hold much of a fight. I was too busy glaring at the suitcase. Suddenly, something smacked me in the face.

"Hey! I'm talking to you!" Caitlin snapped.

"Oh, sorry," I said lowly. "What did you say?" All that anger and irritation disappeared, which was good. For now.

"I said, your eyes are red," she said impatiently. She gently wiped all the blood off of my arm. The blood hadn't dried yet, so it came off easily.

"Tell me something I don't know," I muttered. "How am I supposed to hide it?"

"You could wear sunglasses," Caitlin suggested.

"I would if I owned any," I retorted. Caitlin rolled her eyes and smacked my now cleaned arm. She got up and went to her backpack. Caitlin pulled out an expensive looking pair of sunglasses and handed them to me.

"Oh no," I said and held them back towards her. "I couldn't."

Caitlin smiled and shook her head. "Keep it. I don't wear them anyway."

"Thanks. How can I repay you?" I asked.

"Good question. How _can_ you repay me?" Caitlin asked smugly. I shrugged at the question, knowing it was a bad idea. "How about, when school starts you do all of my homework for two months."

I cringed slightly. I knew she was taking all of the classes which I severely disliked. But I did owe her a lot for the past year.

"Fine," I groaned. It was least I could do. Actually, she wasn't even asking for much. Compared to what she's done for me, doing her homework was nothing. Caitlin has given me a but load of gloved and now her sunglasses. She stayed being my friend during Sophomore year even after the whole craziness with the alien robots and now after I broke her wrist. I am so grateful for having such an amazing friend.

Suddenly, a cold shiver ran down my spine. I felt unsafe. But why? It seemed quiet. But then again, quiet never meant safe. Even the blue demented Wall-E was quiet in his little suitcase prison.

"I'm going to move the toy truck into my cabin so he won't harass you or the other girls," I said quickly and got up.

"Ok," Caitlin said in a slight cheery tone. "I hope he won't cause you too much trouble."

"He won't," I said with a small smile. 'But I have a feeling someone else will,' I thought. "I'll be back with the suitcase in a minute."

I quickly pulled the sunglasses on and ran out of the cabin with the suitcase. Thankfully it was a small one so I could actually run. I did my best to avoid people I ran past them. I needed to get this thing away from other people.

When I got to my cabin, I saw Leo. He was waiting at the front door. I let out a low growl. I really did not want to be near him. Leo smiled at me when I walked up to him.

"Hey Clare. I haven't seen you or Alice around. What's up?" he asked. Leo leaned against the door, blocking it. He was posing as if he was a model. I grabbed him by the shirt and moved him away from the door.

"Not now," I said irritably and went into my cabin. I quickly closed and locked the door so Leo wouldn't come walking in.

"I like it rough!" he called out.

"Go away Leo!" I yelled back at the door. I spotted my suitcase and quickly brought it over. I froze and listened. I could hear Leo walk back and forth in front of the door. I waited for him to leave, which eventually he did. Thank the lord.

I looked back down at both suitcases. Mine was already unzipped and opened. Now for the one with the Decepticon. It was still quiet, so I had to be cautious. Slowly, I unzipped the second suitcase and lifted the flap. To my surprise, the little toy truck didn't leap out or attack. He just sat up, panting.

"Ah....I'm claustrophobic," he said slightly panicked. He suddenly froze. He jerked his head around in a terrified way. "Oh no. He's here! Slag! I'm so dead!"

"Who here?" I asked.

"Sorry warrior goddess but I'm tellin' you nothin'," he said a little frantically. He quickly went back into the suit case and pulled the flap over hisself. "Close it up!"

I rolled my eyes irritably and pulled the pathetic thing out then dumped it into my suitcase. After zipping my suitcase up, I suddenly felt cold. Damn. 'What's wrong with my body,' I thought angrily.

I shook the shivers away and grabbed the empty suitcase then walked out. I ran back to Caitlin's cabin. When I got there, I saw that the other girls were back. Instead of going in, I just left the suitcase at the front door then walked back.

Back at my cabin, I noticed that my front door was wide open. I could have sworn that I closed it when I left. 'Leo, you better not be in there,' I thought peevishly.

When I walking into my cabin, I saw a man. He stood right in the middle of the room. He was nearly as pale as I was. His hair was the color of copper and it was in a short messy style. He wore a dark brown leather jacket over a plain white t-shirt and black pants. Dark sunglasses hid his eyes.

I've never seen him before, but somehow I felt as if I've known him. The man didn't move or make a sound. He just stood there and stared at me.

"Can I help you?" I asked dryly. Suddenly, the man smirked.

"Isn't this hologram better than my last one?" he asked in a disturbingly familiar voice. The hologram took off his sunglasses, revealing the familiar red eyes of none other than Starscream.

I quickly took a step back and watched the hologram warily. "What do you want?" I asked quickly.

"It's not what I want. It's want my lord want," he said smugly.

"Lord?" I asked. He can't be talking about Megatron. He's dead. "You mean the Fallen?"

"Yes, him too," Starscream said. My mind went blank. 'Him too?' I thought.

"Wait, then who's your lord?" I asked. Starscream laughed.

"Have you already forgotten about your master? You revived our lord Megatron just an Earth day ago," Starscream sneered.

Suddenly, it all came back to me. Running through the forest, being chased by the jaguar. Being on the cargo ship. Nearly drowning in the freezing cold water. Megatron's body. The....red eyes.

"No!" I said. "I couldn't have!"

"Oh, but you did," the Seeker said as he walked up to me. I didn't move. I tried to think. Those memories couldn't have been real. The Decepticon began to circle me. His red eyes staring into my soul. "You brought him back. And thanks to you, we can now go on with our plans."

"No," I whispered. Starscream stopped right in front of me. I glared at the hologram's smug face. Something brushed itself against my leg. I looked down and jumped back. The one eyed jaguar was pacing back and forth in front of me. He snapped it's jaws at me threateningly. I quickly got irritated and kicked at the cat. The jaguar dodged my attack then snuck away.

"Lord Megatron is very pleased that you've revived him. He says that he was thinking of not killing you," Starscream said a little cheerfully. I could tell that all that cheeriness was fake. I knew that he hated Megatron with a great passion. "It warms my spark to know that my great lord is back."

I burst out laughing. I couldn't help myself. This Decepticon was so full of himself. "Really? Come on now. Do you really expect me to believe that you're happy that Megatron's back?" I asked still laughing at the angry hologram's face. "You are so pathetic. Why are you acting like such a kiss-ass? Your great lord isn't even here."

Starscream growled and without warning, lunged at me. I jumped back and turned to leave me cabin. When I opened the door another man stood in my way.

My body and mind froze. I felt my heart and soul sink to the lowest depths when I saw the silver hair and red eyes.


	9. Guilty Pleasures

_Chapter 9 is finally up!!! Again, sorry about the late chapters. I'm doing my best. But things get a little interesting here so enjoy the chapter!_

_Happy reading/writing!! _**:)**_  
_

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Another cold shiver went down my spine. My body felt cold and numb. I couldn't take my eyes off of the hologram that was Megatron. I forgot how handsome he looked, especially with a smirk on his face. Damn it all.

Without thinking, I slammed the door shut. But, to my dismay, Megatron kicked it back open. A dark smile was on his face. He stepped forward towards me as I stepped back.

"No" I whined hopelessly. "That's not fair."

"When have I ever played fair?"Megatron purred. He spoke in that same deep seductive voice that was just short from a growl. His voice always made me melt inside. Dammit!

"What do you want?" I asked in a quivered voice. Megatron cocked his head to the side. A smirk was still on his hologram's face. God. How I love the way he looks at me. I wanted to touch his cold skin. 'No! Stop it!' I screamed in my head.

The Decepticon leader chuckled. "Stop what, my pet?" he asked softly. I froze.

"How did you do that?" I asked quickly.

"Do what?"

"Stop playing dumb!" I snapped. "You know what I mean." I continued to step away as he continued to advance towards me. To my irritation, the jaguar come up to me again.

"Get away!" I yelled and kicked at the cat again. This time, I hit it right in the face. It growled at me and tried to bite my leg.

"Leave her be, Ravage," Megatron growled. The jaguar, or Ravage, snarled at me again then slowly back away. Suddenly, his head jerked towards the door. Ravage then jumped towards the nearest bed and hid behind it.

I didn't know why he was hiding until I heard, "Hey Clare, I heard you yell so I came over!" Megatron's hologram froze as did I. I glanced at the opened door and saw Leo. "Oh am I interrupting something?" he asked with a smirk.

Megatron's eyes flickered back towards Leo. His smirk was gone and was replaced by a frown. Shit. I did not want him to hurt Leo, even though I hated Leo.

I ran past Megatron's hologram and pushed the college boy out of the cabin.

"Don't you know how to knock!?" I yelled. I was panicked, angry, and irritated. Not a good combination. "Leave. Now!"

"Aw can't I watch?" Leo asked with a smile.

"Watch what?" I asked completely bewildered.

"You three getting it on!"

I stared at the boy for more than a minute. I seriously had to fight the urge to slap him. I could have sworn that I heard Starscream snicker behind me. The douche.

"No," I said quickly then slammed the door shut and locked it. I turned back towards the holograms then froze. "Wait." I quickly turned back and frantically tried to unlock the door. When I got it not even half way open, Megatron slammed his hand onto the door to shut it. "Damn it all!" I yelled.

"You weren't thinking of leaving now were you?" Megatron whispered into my ear, making me shiver.

The hologram chuckled softly at my reaction and pressed his body against my back. He pinned me against the door and buried his face into my hair. I heard him inhale as if he was smelling me. Awkward.

I quickly turned around and faced the hologram. Megatron just stared at me. There was some amusement in his red eyes. Megatron smirked at me as he leaned forward. When his lips brushed against mine, my head immediately flew back as a desperate attempt to get away. But it was a stupid thing to do, because I was right against the door and I slammed the back of my head onto it.

"Son of a.....!" I roared as my hand went to the back of my aching head. I felt a little dazed by the impact but I still heard Starscream laughing. "It's not funny!" I yelled. I realized that Megatron was also laughing. Creepy. I have never heard Megatron laugh before. Chuckle, yes, but not laugh. I wish it stayed that way. I pulled Caitlin's sunglasses off and glared at the hologram in front of me.

"You are such an odd fleshling," Megatron purred when he finally stopped laughing. I rolled my eyes and didn't answer. Megatron chuckled again then wrapped his arms around me. I flinched a little as he pressed his lips onto my neck. His cold breath on my neck gave me goose bumps. I felt his cold fingers graze under my shirt to my lower back. The fingers lined up against my spine and added pressure to it. A sudden flashback appeared.

_The girl was surrounded by Decepticon holograms. She had nowhere to run. _

_The hologram behind her_ _was holding onto her. He pulled out a gun from his holster and pointed it to her the girl's lower back._

_Without warning the policeman hologram shot the girl at point blank. The girl's scream was muffled by the another hologram's hand. The policeman shot the girl again and this time. She screamed again as the policeman laughed. _

The flashback skipped forward a few minutes.

_The girl was on the hologram's lap, trying to pull away from him._ _The silver haired hologram growled and dug his fingers into the bullet holes that where in the girl's back._

The flashbacks quickly ended and I let out a scream. I felt my legs give out from under me and I stumbled to my knees. Megatron didn't even bother holding me, like he ever did. Instead he just laughed as I tried to calm my nerves.

"A little jumpy aren't we?" Megatron asked softly. I groaned at my defeat.

A cold pair of hands grabbed onto my arm and pulled me back onto my feet. Megatron gently pulled me up against him. His merciless blood red eyes stared into mine. I could see desire and lust in them. Not good.

I realized that Megatron wasn't even holding me tightly. How odd. Was he playing with me? Was he teasing me? I didn't know. But I did know that I had to get out of here. If I was fast enough, I could get to one of the windows.

After a moment of thinking, decided to take my chanced and quickly pulled away from Megatron's hologram. To my surprise and relief, Megatron didn't make any attempt in retraining me back. I quickly ran to the nearest window but Ravage jumped out in front of me and blocked my escape route. Starscream's hologram blocked the second closest window. Shit.

The only window left was across the cabin. It would have to jump over my bed to get to it. Should I risk it? Sure, why not.

I ran towards my bed. To my disheartenment, Starscream kicked my suitcase out in front of me and I tripped over it. I fell just a few inches away from my bed. Right when I was about to get up, Ravage pounced on me. His jaws snapped threateningly at my face. Anger took over and I reached for my jeans pocket. The scissor handle felt reassuring to me as I grabbed onto it.

"I said get away," I growled lowly and plunged the scissors into Ravage's neck. The mechanical cat screamed and fell off of me. He rolled around, desperately trying to take the scissors out but failed. I grinned to myself and quickly got up.

To my great dismay, Megatron's hologram was right behind me. He grabbed onto my arms when I attempted to jump away from him.

"Very nice," he purred to me. "You'd make a useful Decepticon if you were Cybertronian."

With that said, Megatron tossed me onto my bed. The second I landed, I scrambled to climb off. But Megatron came on top of me. I struggled as he tried to hold me down. He finally grabbed onto my wrists and used them to pin me. His hologram's weight also helped in holding me down onto the bed. I lost...again.

Megatron's hologram smirked down at me and said, "A good attempt, though futile." He leaned down and feathered his lips over mine again. This time, desire took me over. I waited for him to touch me. My eyes closed and I pushed up, trying to get closer. Megatron pulled back just enough so that my lips could barely touch his.

After a minute, the teasing got annoying and I dropped my head back down onto the bed. The Decepticon leader gave out another chuckle.

"You want me, don't you?" he asked pleasantly. I turned my face away stubbornly and didn't answer. I could feel his red hot gaze on me which made me very anxious.

Megatron went down to my neck and kissed it. It was oddly gentle but it still had that cold feeling to it. He continued to leave little pecks as he went up to my lips. He gave me a deep kiss filled with his sick passion.

The hologram quickly pulled away. His hands left my wrists and were now playing with my hair. He was smiling viciously down at me. Fear slowly began to come up inside of me as the hologram sat up. He roughly pulled me up with him.

"Starscream, restrain her," Megatron growled to his second.

In a swift move, Starscream's hologram jumped onto the bed. He grabbed my arms and held them against my back. To my surprise, his touch felt pretty normal. It didn't have Optimus' odd warmth or Megatron's vicious coldness.

My thought was interrupted when Megatron grabbed onto my legs and spread them. I froze. Panic quickly took over and my heart began to beat faster. Already? He plans to fuck me now?

"You wouldn't," I whispered. "At least, not with Starscream here." The Decepticon stared at me. He looked completely surprised before chuckling yet again. My aren't we giddy today.

"Of course not, my pet," Megatron purred. "I wouldn't give Starscream the pleasure of watching us." He smirked at me as he caressed my cheek. "I can already feel you desire. You just can't wait for me to touch your body, can you?" I really had nothing to say to thank. He was right.

The Decepticon leader leaned his hologram body against me. His hologram was pretty tall and big built compared to little ol' me. Megatron filled the space between my legs. He lifted me slightly so I was nearly sitting on his lap. He pushed his chest against my body. His mouth went straight for my neck and began to suck it aggressively. I was absently waiting for him to get rough of me. Megatron being gentle never did seem right.

Megatron pushed harder against me, pinning my body against Starscream's hologram. I was sandwiched between two Decepticon holograms. I have never felt so awkward in my life.

I glanced up as Starscream's hologram, who was watching me. He looked disgusted and very uncomfortable. Oh, how I know that feeling. In a way, I kinda felt sorry for Starscream. I didn't really know why.

"Sorry," I said softly to the Seeker. I really had no clue why I said that.

Starscream's eyes narrowed down at me. He wasn't glaring at me, which was surprising. He looked more curious then angry. Should I be afraid of that? Who knows. Starscream flickered his eyes to Megatron then back to me. The Decepticon leader was clearly too busy sucking and biting my neck off.

Slowly, I felt Starscream's grip on my arms loosen. The Seeker nuzzled my cheek with his mouth. His hands let go of my arms and began to caress my back. He kissed my cheek gently. It was pretty obvious that he was holding back. His red eyes were still watching Megatron's hologram warily. Starscream didn't want to alert his Lord that he was touching me, which was completely understandable.

Starscream's lips left my cheek and went directly to my mouth. His mouth was oddly soft and he was a good kisser. 'Why!?' I yelled in my head.

One of Starscream's hands left my back and held me by my hair. The Seeker was really getting into it as he roughly slipped his tongue into my mouth. His gentle caresses felt good and I let out a moan.

Suddenly, something hit Starscream. The punch was so hard and fast that even I got hit. I immediately looked up and stared into the furious eyes of Megatron. Great.

The Decepticon leader angrily grabbed my hair and wrenched it back. I couldn't help but give out a pained gasp. His other hand grabbed Starscream's hologram by the throat and pulled him close.

"How dare you," Megatron growled. "I gave you a simple order and you can't even follow that correctly."

He let go of my hair and was about to punch Starscream. The Seeker flinched when he got hit. I couldn't help myself when I winced too. It wasn't fair not matter how bad Starscream was.

When Megatron's arm came down to strike Starscream again, I grabbed onto his arm. The Decepticon leader stopped abruptly and stared at me as I said, "Please don't hurt him."Both holograms froze and stared at me incredulously.

After a long painful silence, Megatron growled deeply. He slapped me off of him then turned to Starscream.

"Leave. Now," he said in a low dangerous tone. Starscream's hologram disappeared without hesitation. Megatron glared at down at Ravage, who was still having trouble with the scissors in his neck. After a minute, the jaguar was able to shake the scissors out of his neck, then jumped out of the cabin.

My mouth and cheek felt a little sore from the punch and the slap Megatron gave to me. I sat up and rubbed my tender cheek. The hologram was glaring at me, which wasn't new to me.

"You little brat," he growled. I ignored the threat in his voice and climbed off of the bed. To my dismay, Megatron snatched me by my wrist and jerked me back. "I'm not done with you," he snarled at my face.

"Well I'm done with you!" I snapped. Megatron froze for a second. He looked a little surprised. I guess this was the first time I actually snapped at him. He didn't like my stubbornness, like he ever did, and smacked me again. He struck me so hard that I fell right onto the bed. My face stung from his hits.

I could hear Megatron breathing heavily. I could feel his rage building up. As quickly as it came, though, all the fury began to drift away. Desire was quickly replacing his held anger. I got a little scared by his emotions. I didn't know what he was going to do to me. Well, I did have an idea.

A cold hand went under my shirt and brushed against my skin. Goose bumps formed as the hologram caressed my back. It was a gentle touch, which I did not trust at all. And yet, somehow, I became aroused by it. I wanted more of him. More of my lord Megatron.

Suddenly, Megatron let out a deep growl. He pulled me up in a sitting position and literally tore my shirt off. I didn't panic or pull away when the hologram's mouth attacks the scar on my chest. As he nipped my chest, Megatron quickly pulled my jeans down. His lips left my chest and went down to my stomach. I gasped a little as he ran his cold tongue across my vulnerable belly. As he licked my flesh, he roughly ripped my shoes and socks off then finally shredded my jeans off.

Megatron pushed me onto the bed. His hologram's weight held me down again. I was trapped. The Decepticon leader growled again as he cupped my face. He stared at me with his cruel blood red eyes for a second before forcefully kissing me. I moaned as he stuck his tongue into my mouth. His tongue roamed aimlessly as I began to absently unbutton the hologram's shirt.

For some reason, Megatron didn't like that. He quickly pulled away and glared down at me. I merely stared up at him. After a second of our awkward staring contest, the hologram smirked then took the shirt off himself. I didn't understand why he didn't want me to do it, but I let it go when he leaned back down to kiss me. He quickly sat up again, except he pulled me up with him so that the kiss wouldn't be broken.

Oddly enough, my heart began to ache with sadness and guilt. But, why would I be sad? 'I'm making out with my lord,' I thought. 'What's there to be sad about?'

Then Optimus popped into my head. The memory of him accepting my invitation to Turnabout in my Sophomore year replayed itself through my head. I just adored the way he smiled at me. The way he says my name in that calm gentle voice will always make my heart melt.

Then I remembered Bumblebee's words.

"_He doesn't see you that often. That makes him sad_."

I have waited for Optimus to come back for over a year. I have longed for him to hold me like he always used to. Just a couple days ago, I was with him for hours. I almost forgot about that. I almost forgot how warm and comforting he felt. I couldn't help but wonder how Optimus would be if we.....did it in bed.

Megatron's caressing hands froze, which brought me back to reality. He pulled away and glared at me. I didn't particularly care. I was too busy worrying if I was cheating on Optimus. Oh no. What will he say? What will he do? Am I really cheating on my Optimus Prime?

Megatron grabbed me by my shoulders and shook me.

"No! You are mine! Stop thinking about Optimus!!" Megatron roared.

"I can't," I whimpered. I really couldn't. I loved him.

"You don't belong to him!" Megatron snarled at me.

"Yes I do. I'm his love," I said, a little to myself and to Megatron.

"You have no bond with him. Only with me!" the Decepticon said as he shook me again. "It is a fact that you can never change"

He was right. Dammit. He was so right. I was Megatron's not Optimus'. The truth hit me so hard that I began to tear up. Megatron continued to yell at me but I wasn't paying attention. I hated myself at that point. I hated the damn bond that forced me to love and desire this tyrant.


	10. The Act of Punishing

_Chapter 10 is ready for reading! Ok, I just finished this one for you guys. I sorta rushed it and it's not as long. But please do enjoy, especially since things get more interesting in here. Don't forget to review! I love reading all your comments so keep it up!  
_

_Happy Reading/writing!!  
_

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Without warning, Megatron tore my underwear off. I was caught completely off guard when he did that. Megatron grabbed onto my legs and spread them.

"No!" I screamed and struggled as the hologram held me down.

The Decepticon leader quickly lost his patience and struck me down once again. I swear, he hits me harder each time. I was worried that he might slap my face off. Megatron grabbed me by my hair and brought me closer to him.

"Why do you fight it?" he growled. "I can feel it. You desire me. You want me. Admit it." He cupped my face again and added pressure. I didn't want to admit it, even though it was true. "Admit it!" he roared again.

Tears came out of my eyes when I whimpered, " I want you." The pressure to my face was relieved but Megatron still held me with shaking hands. His thumbs rubbed my cheeks, wiping away the fallen tears.

"That's better," he growled. Unexpectedly, he pressed his lips onto mine. When he pulled away, he was frowning at me. "I do not like the fact that you think about that slagging Prime when you're around me. I should punish you for that," he whispered. "But how?"

Megatron's crimson eyes drifted down my body. Even when he looked at me, I felt violated. I could see the lust building up in his eyes. I could feel it. His gaze finally stopped at my burned arm. A twisted smile spread across his face and his eyes widened with excitement.

Suddenly, the hologram disappeared then reappeared a moment later. I felt my own eyes widen when I realized the Megatron's hologram was fully naked. Oh lord. Well, now I didn't feel so self conscious about being the only one naked.

Without any warning or hesitation, the Decepticon leader thrusts himself full into me. I gasped at the sudden feeling of Megatron inside of me. The hologram pulled me against his cold body and held me there. His brisk arms hardened as he wrapped them around me. Megatron didn't move after that.

Here I was naked, in the arms of Megatron with his dick inside of me. Such a pleasant situation. To my dismay, I wanted more. My body has betrayed me yet again. I needed movement. I was desperate for Megatron to continue. In an attempt to encourage the Decepticon, I wrapped my arms around his neck and pressed myself closer against him. The hologram merely smirked.

"I know that you want me to continue," Megatron said in his soft seductive voice. His deep voice was like velvet. It brushed against my skin, making me shiver and even more anxious. "You want me to....what was the term you humans say?" he asked himself a little thoughtfully. After a quick moment, his smile widened."Ah, yes. Fuck. You want me to fuck you?" The way he said that particular word was terrifying. It was pleasant and had a slight purr at the end.

As wrong as it sounded, I nodded pathetically to his question. I felt the hologram dig his nails into my back, causing my body to arch up against him even more. Megatron chortled a little and pressed his lips against my ear. I felt like I was going to burst from my unsatisfied arousal. This teasing was like torture to me.

"Beg me," Megatron murmured into my ear. His cold breath tickled my skin as he spoke. "Beg me to continue. To punish you. To torture you. You want it. I know you do." He was messing with my mind. I knew that for sure, but I also knew that I wanted him. Or is he forcing me to want him? I didn't know anymore! I was so confused. My feelings and thoughts were jumbled up. But my desire was growing out of control so I gave into it.

"Lord Megatron, please continue," I said breathlessly. "Please take me. Punish me! I beg you!" My voice sounded pathetic and desperate, even to me. How sad.

Megatron growled something I didn't understand and painfully thrusts out of me then back in. He pushed me back onto the bed and laid on top of me. The hologram aggressively pulled my legs up and hooked them around his waist as he grinded his hips against mine. He finally began to pumped in and out of me. My neck was attacked by his cruel mouth. His bites and kissed were brutal. I couldn't do anything to stop him even if I wanted to. Megatron took me without hesitation, just like before.

I was moaning constantly as he pushed himself deeper into me. Our thoughts and minds suddenly became one. My guilt and desire mixed with Megatron's anger and lust. I couldn't tell what was mine and what was his.

At first, it felt good. They way we were both together as one. The feeling of not being alone. The way he pounded into me was amazing. But soon his movement became more rough. More cruel. The pleasure was beginning to get overshadowed by pain and my moans were coming out a pained gasps. He wasn't kidding about punishing me. The anguish soared through my body along with heat.

"My body," I panted into the hologram's ear. "It's burning!" Megatron ignored me and continued but harder. It was too much.

My wrists were pinned onto the bed by the hologram's painful grip. His hard body ground against mine. I could faintly feel a small bit of warmth radiating from his chest. Even in hologram form, I could still somewhat feel his spark. His life.

The rhythm to Megatron's movements sped up. His drive was heightened to an unimaginable level. I couldn't keep up with him, so I fell behind and into the pain while he continued forward with his pleasure. I didn't know how much my body can take. I doubted that I'll last long if Megatron continued this. I wasn't able to do much while the hologram pumped in and out of me. I was just gasping and whimpering at the pain.

I did feel Megatron's mouth feather against my ear. I could hear his low growls and soft groans of pleasure. He was saying something that I couldn't understand, even if it was in English.

Our unity startlingly disappeared. I felt weak and alone at that point. My mind was flooded with pain and guilt. I knew the Megatron's was filled with pleasure and lust. But I could still feel him there inside my mind and he wasn't going to leave. Not now, not ever.

**Megatron POV**

I could feel her human heart beat faster and faster. All of her pleasure has been replaced by pain, which pleased me. Her once cold body was now burning hot beneath me. Perspiration covered the girl's body, causing my hologram to stick to her. Her breathing came out as loud gasps. The sounds she was making were close to breathless screams.

My movement and actions were taking a great toll on her small fragile body. I loved watching her suffer. Forcing myself upon her frame was pleasurable. I noticed that the girl's wrists were turning black under my grip, along with her neck. Her mouth was red. Her cheeks were swollen from my strikes.

I could feel the girl's pain but not as intensely as she felt it. Humans were so much more sensitive to pain. That's why they die so easily. The thought of killing enthralled me and I began to pump into the human more vigorously.

My pet bit down onto her bottom as if trying to endure the pain. How pathetic. She can't even take it when I'm not giving it my all. I soon realized that the girl's lip was bleeding out. A smile spread across my hologram's visage as I watched the red lubricant drip down to her chin. I gently ran my glossa over her lips and down her chin, cleaning the blood off of her. My pet let out a anguished moan and arched her body against mine. I didn't like her movement, so I pushed my hologram self back down onto her. I love having total control over my victims. I gain more pleasure if I'm dominating them.

Having intercourse with this human felt so good. Her mind and body was so easy to access and take. I just loved it. My lust for her grows more and more as I continued her punishment with more brutality. The same desire to break her filled me. The need to spill her blood consumed me.

I continued to pump in and out of the girl's pitiful body, trying to decide what my next action will be. I wanted to torture her, physically and mentally. I wanted to show her that she belongs to me and only me. Force her to understand that I am better than that fragging Optimus.

My thoughts were interrupted when an unimaginable wave of pain and pleasure washed through me. The sensation called ecstacy entered my spark and I shuddered at the thrilling feel of it. I have never felt this way before and frankly I was enjoying ever moment. The human was going through an overload, or climax as the humans call it. Her lips parted and gave out a pained cry as her body trembled from her climax. I felt the human's warm lubricant leak out of her vaginal whole.

If I was interfacing with her in my real form, I would have overloaded with her. Using my hologram limits me from my true potential. I would be able to do so much more to her in my real form. I wished that my pet was Cybertronian. That way I could love her and show her what I am capable of doing.

My feelings for the human were uncertain. My mood changes ever minute I'm with her. I couldn't tell if they were truly my feelings or just feelings I've gained from the bond. I assumed that I just gained them. Surely I would never love an organism, let alone a human. But I did love touching her, holding her, and breaking her.

After the human's climax, my hologram slumped down on top of her. My pet's frame was limp. Her chest rose and fell as she panted, trying to recover from what just happened. Her burning hot body slowly began to cool down and I relaxed against her.

I glanced down at her body. There were many bruises all over her, especially in her lower more private area. Well, it's not private to me. Not anymore. I sucked in all of her pain, enjoying every bit of her misery and torment. Her pain was my pleasure.

My hologram's lips grazed against my pet's bruised flesh. He muscles tensed whenever I touched a sore spot. Occasionally, she flinched or jumped a little at my touch. I couldn't help myself when I laughed at her reaction.

I gently brushed the human's black hair off of her face. My pet's dull red eyes avoided mine. Her submission pleased me. It amazes me how quick she gave herself to me. I would have thought that she's put up more of a fight but instead she submitted to me to easily. I laughed out loud at the thought.

"I remember the first time I saw you," I murmured to my pet. "You were so young, puny, and innocent. I, however, was frozen. Trapped in that wretched place." The human glanced up at me. She looked confused.

"It was only a little more than a year ago," she said. Her voice was slightly strained from the pain she was in.

"No, no," I said. "Before that."

"There was nothing before that," she said darkly.

"Oh but there was," I said as a my smirk widened. "Being frozen didn't stop me from knowing where I was. I was still aware of my surroundings. I was still able to contact others if I wanted to."

"So?" the human asked.

"So," I sighed. "I tried many times to contact my Decepticon warriors. None answered. Well, none could answer because my message couldn't reach them."

"What does that have to do with me?" the human asked. She clearly was oblivious to what had happened. I shook my head and laughed.

"My stupid little pet," I said as I ran one of my hologram's digits over her bottom lip. "I just adore how naive you are." I felt the girl's discomfort and she began to shift nervously beneath me. Her fidgeting irritated me so I slapped her face. The human stared up at me, completely stunned. Her hand touched her now red cheek. "As I was saying," I growled. "I couldn't contact anyone, but you."

"I don't remember you," my pet said in a quivered voice. "Not when I was little."

"Of course not," I whispered as I rubbed myself against her. "Your underdeveloped mind was too occupied to notice me. I have seen your thoughts, your pathetic little fantasies when you were young. You were just too ignorant to realize my presence in your mind."

"But how?" my pet whimpered. "How could you contact me in the first place? We didn't even have a bond then!" I shrugged at the question.

"The All Spark," I said dryly. The girl merely stared at me, so I went on. "One of the two reasons to why I couldn't contact others was that the walls were too thick in the dam. The other was the All Spark. Every time I tried to send a message to someone, somehow the All Spark intercepted it and I was brought to you."

"Why me?"

I smiled and slipped my hand onto the girl's bare chest. She began to panic a little as my hand feathered right over her scar. I felt the warmth of the energon that ran through her body.

"This is why," I whispered. "You were, after all, the closest source of energon that was related to the All Spark."

The girl's eyes nervously glanced down at my hologram's hand, which was still on her scarred chest. I felt her heart race with fear, which excited and aroused me yet again.

I gently planted my lips onto the human's. She gave out a soft needy whimper. My arousal made the human's desire come out as well. She wanted more. 'Oh, I'll give her more,' I thought as a delicious idea came to mind. I finally thought of a way to torture the girl's mind.

I sat up and stretched my hologram's body. Laying on top of the human without moving has made my hologram self very stiff. My eyes scanned the room and fell onto a case. I knew that poor excuse of a Decepticon was in there. He called himself Wheelie, while I called him pathetic scum. The little piece of tin couldn't do a simple job without messing up. How irritating. I really needed to find better followers instead of slackers like him and Starscream.

My thoughts were interrupted when the human sat up and reached for her outer skins. I grabbed her arm and jerked her back towards me.

"What do you think you're doing" I growled. I began to tighten my grip on her arm to nearly breaking point.

"Putting my clothes on," she whimpered in pain.

"No, you're not," I snarled at her frightened face. "Your punishment is not over." Watching the human's eyes widen in horror brought more pleasure to my spark.

"What are you going to do?" she asked in a hollow tone.

I forcefully kissed her then whispered into her ear, "You'll see."


	11. A Complete Shadow

_Chapter 11 is up and ready for reading!! I didn't realize how dark I made some of this. lol But don't let that stop you from reading. Please keep making reviews! I wanna know what you think! And please enjoy as always. _

_Happy Reading and Writing! _**:)**_  
_

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Clare POV**

I tried to pull away from the hologram's grip, but was rewarded with another strike to the face. This time it was back handed. I was hit so hard that I was knocked down onto the bed, dazed. God, I counted five slaps by him today, a new record. It made me absently wonder how bruised my whole body was.

My thought was interrupted when Megatron grabbed me by my shoulders and turned me over. His hand left my shoulder, snatched onto my hair, and slammed my face down. Thankfully, my face landed on a soft pillow so it didn't hurt as much.

I felt both of the hologram's hands slowly slide down to my hips. I wasn't prepared when he stuffed himself back into me, except he went into my arsehole. It was so painful that I screamed. My hands clawed at the bed sheets, desperately trying to grab onto something. Being fucked anally hurt so much more, especially with Megatron doing it.

"You're so tight," Megatron purred. "It feels good." He pushed in deeper as he laid his body on top of me again.

I had to turn my head to the side so that I wouldn't be smothered by the pillow. I still hadn't recovered from the brutality I just endured, and I wasn't sure how much more I was able to take. His goal clearly wasn't to pleasure me.

"No," I moaned. "Please.....stop."

"Take it," he growled. The hologram pushed himself deeper into me. I tried to fight him at first but gave up. He was too much and it was better to just get it over with. Megatron sensed my defeat and murmured softly into my ear, "Yes, that's a good girl. Take it all my little whore." I couldn't help but shiver at his words. I'm not just his little pet anymore. I'm also his little whore.

Megatron grabbed onto my wrists again to pin me down. I wasn't going to move anyway but the Decepticon loved the control. He thrived from it. I was helpless from the start and he knew it. He took me without effort and made me into his play thing. His pet. The pain from knowing that, and among other things, got to me and I began to cry.

"Hurts doesn't it," Megatron murmured. He began to pump into me deeper, faster, and harder. The helpless sounds I was making grew louder as did his groans of pleasure. "I just love feeling your pain," He growled. "But it isn't enough. Let's make things more interesting." As he said that, Megatron's hand slid down my right arm and grabbed it. Energy began to build up but I couldn't control it. "Here's the second part of your punishment," the Decepticon lord whispered.

Suddenly, an outpour of thoughts came into my mind. Memories, flashbacks, emotions, fantasies. Everything that was Megatron. Everything in his mind. Then everything of mine rushed in as well. The flashbacks blinded my vision as they jumbled in together at the same time. I couldn't tell what was who's. Too much! There was too much!

_Megatron crushing Autobot's throat......A girl's broken arm healed over night.....A sliver alien robot staring down at a little girl in bed.....Two robots watching a peaceful city.....A teenage girl see's her yellow guardian die....BUMBLEBEE!!....she starts screaming....._

'No stop! Get out of my mind!' I screamed in my head.

'Why would I do that?' Megatron's voice echoed.

_Then a giant silver mech was licking the blood off a girl...a police man shoots the girl in the ally....the Decepticon leader beating his second down..... "Failure is unacceptable Starscream,"Megatron growled......the silver mech tears the head off of an Autobot, sticks it onto a pole, waves the pole back and forth like a flag....."Megatron, what have you done!?" Prime roared..._

Flashbacks overlapped one another. It was too confusing. There was images of Cybertron and dead robots. Autobots. Dead. So many of them slaughtered. Their heads staked onto poles. The images of Megatron killing and torturing came at once. It was......to much!!

_An orange blade goes through Megatron's spark....the silver 'bot crashes through a submarine......beats down Starscream....."Little human slave," a deep raspy voice said..... "FIND THE MATRIX!!"...._

'Pleasure. No, wait that's pain. No no no. NO!'

'Hate, anger. Happiness and....love?'

'I don't know! Couldn't think. Too much going on. Too much chaos. Please stop!!'My mind felt like it was going to explode. Too much was happening at one moment.

Suddenly, everything stopped. My mind stopped. I was still alive, still aware of my surroundings. But I felt gone. I felt distant, almost dead. I felt weak, exposed, violated. I wasn't me anymore.

The hologram on top of me chuckled. "Well that was a rush," he said. "That should teach you where your place is to me, right my pet?"

I spoke without thinking. "Yes my lord," My voice was hollow. Nothing. Empty, just like me.

"Good," Megatron purred. He brushed the hair from my face with his left hand. I flinched at his movement, thinking that he will hurt me again. I could still feel his firm grip of my right arm. "It doesn't take much effort to torture you like this, girl," he growled. "So if you ever act up on me, then I will take the pleasure in breaking your body and mind. Do you understand?"

His last sentence came out pleasant and slightly cheerful. I felt more disturbed. I thought Megatron was crazy before but after seeing what he's done, I was beyond terrified of him.

When I didn't answer his question, the hologram pressed his cheek onto mine. His body pressed down onto mine. The action put more fear into me.

"Well," he asked making me flinch again. His voice sounded a little irritated and was more forceful. "Do you understand or not?"

I closed my eyes and began to shake slightly. I finally opened my mouth and said, "I understand....my lord."

"Very good," Megatron hummed. He kissed my cheek and began to caress it. "I wonder how long it would take for your mind to completely shut down if I continued," he said thoughtfully.

My throat closed up in fear when I heard him say that. My body shook uncontrollably as his grip tightened on my right arm.

"Please, no more," I whimpered. "Please."

"For now," Megatron sighed, "I'll leave you to recover. But before I go..." The hologram's grip tightened even more. Energy began to build up again painfully. Then suddenly, it felt like something exploded in my arm which caused me to shriek at the pain.

Megatron chuckled than sat up. He finally let go of my arm, which felt very stiff. "I stopped your energon flow," the Decepticon said simply. "That way you can't harm me or any of my minions. It's only temporary thought."

He ran his fingers through my hair and over my cheek. If it wasn't Megatron doing it, I would have considered it as a loving touch. But it wasn't. It was to mock me. To humiliate me. To scare me.

"I see that you're not thinking about Prime anymore," Megatron snarled. "Keep it that way." With that said, the hologram disappeared.

I was left naked, alone, and empty. All this happened only because I thought about him. About Optimus. I wasn't even allowed to think about him anymore.

"I'm sorry," I whispered. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry." I kept on apologizing. I didn't know to who though. To Optimus, because I betrayed him. To Megatron, because I didn't obay him. To the Autobots, because I was weak. To Caitlin, because I was such a bad friend.

I think I was mostly apologizing to Optimus. I didn't understand how he could love a pathetic girl like me. I was just a stupid little human while he was a great Autobot leader. Optimus deserved a much better lover than me. I was not fit for such a magnificent Autobot like him.

I slowly sat up. My body was stiff and sore. Bruises covered nearly every inch of my body. My whole right arm was indigo from the energy build up. It felt heavy and was burning. My eyes lingered to the floor. I spotted the pair of scissor the I penetrated Ravage with.

I got off the bed, grabbed the scissors, then went to the bathroom. When I looked into the mirror, I froze. The face I saw enraged me. The face of the pitiful broken human; all bruised up and dead looking. I hated that girl in the mirror. That foolish, miserable, powerless thing. She's not worthy of living.

The scissors in my hand were brought up to my neck. My hands shook as I placed the tip onto my throat.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?!" someone screamed. That person grabbed my hand and tore the scissors out of it. It was Caitlin.

"What happened!?" she yelled. "Who did this to you!?"

I blinked then turned to the girl. She looked horrified. All those hopeless thoughts slightly went away and I was able to think a little normally again.

"Where did you come from?" I asked.

"That guy," Caitlin said. "The perverted one who's next door. I asked him where you were. He said you were in here."

"Leo," I whispered. I forgot that he existed. I momentarily forgot a lot of things.

Caitlin quickly left then came back with a blanket. When she tried to wrap it around me I jerked away. Caitlin stood there with the blanket in her hands, staring at me with fear.

"What was I doing?" I asked. I slowly slid down to my knees. Caitlin took her chance and gently placed the blanket over my shoulders. My body tensed a bit by her closeness. "Why was I listening to him?" I whispered. I realized that I wasn't thinking about me being unworthy. I was forced to think that. Megatron forced me to feel helpless.

"Listening to who?" Caitlin asked. I couldn't tell her. She'll think I'm a whore. A weak little slut. I can't tell her anything.

"Leave," I muttered.

"What?"

"Leave!" I roared. "Now!" My voice cracked at the last work. I was about to son. But I couldn't do it in front of Caitlin, who was staring at me. "Please," I whimpered. "I don't want you to see me like this."

**Caitlin POV**

Seeing my friend like this was scary. She was terrified. I knew I should have been distracted by her being naked but I was dwelled on other things. Her body was blue, black and red from bruises. I could see a little trickle of blood run down her legs. Her skin looked raw and was paler than ever. Her eyes looked dull and empty. Clare didn't look at me. She just stared down at my feet.

"Clare," I said, trying to keep my voice low and calm. "What happened?" She shook her head. "Clare please. You've told be things before. Like about what happened between you and that robot named Megatron."

Clare's eyes snapped up at me. She looked furious.

"Do not speak his name!" she yelled.

"He did this, didn't he?" I asked hollowly.

"No," she whispered. "I allowed it."

"Clare.." I began.

"Go away!" she yelled. Her hands shook as she reached for the scissors that I threw to the floor.

"Clare stop it!" I said back. She was going crazy and I didn't know what to do.

"Get out!!" she roared again but more viciously. Clare pointed the scissors at me. I slowly backed away and out of the bathroom. Clare got up and slammed the door shut. After a moment she called out, "I'm sorry Caitlin." She sounded like she was crying.

I had a feeling it was Megatron again. Just by her reaction, I knew. But I thought he was gone though. Maybe robots don't die permanently. I didn't know. I didn't know what he did to her or what I'm going to do about it. All of this was not good at all.

I slowly walked out of Clare's cabin. But before I left, I noticed that her cell phone was ringing. The sound and vibrate was off but the light was on. I glanced at the caller ID. It was Bumblebee.

"Sorry Clare but this is for your own good," I muttered then picked up the phone and ran outside.

"Bumblebee?" I asked when I answered the phone.

"Caitlin?" he asked back.

"Yes, it's Caitlin," I said a little frantically.

"Hi Caitlin. Can I talk to Clare?" Bumblebee asked sweetly. I hesitated. Should I tell? Clare got really angry the last time I told. I was scared then. I was scared now. "Caitlin? Are you there?" Bumblebee asked which brought me back to the present.

"No, she can't talk right now," I said quickly. "Clare's really tired right now. She's asleep. I'll tell her to call you back when she's awake."

"Well, you don't have to," Bumblebee said in a slightly disappointed tone. He sounded really down. Poor guy. He really does miss Clare."Just tell her that Optimus had to leave."

"Leave?" I asked baffled. "Optimus was here?"

"Yeah. He wanted to wait for your camp to be over but he had to go back to the base now," Bumblebee said with a sigh. I had no idea that he was here. Maybe I should just tell Bumblebee about her condition. But, I don't want to face Clare's wrath again. She broke my wrist last time and I don't know what worse things she would do.

"Oh ok," I said quickly. "I'll tell her."Bumblebee hung up without another word.

It felt wrong to lie. Especially about something like this. But maybe it wasn't such a big deal. Maybe Clare will be able to solve this. Hopefully, she will get better.

**Tuesday**

A few days have passed and Clare has gone from bad to worse. I don't see her that often. She's always locked up in her cabin. I assumed that she was alone but that guy, who's next door to her, keeps mentioning that he hears screaming in her cabin. That scares the crap out of me.

I've told a councilor about Clare not coming out. The councilor went to Clare's cabin, opened it up, and found it empty. The councilor thinks that I'm just paranoid. Damn him.

Clare has been missing out on volunteering, so I've been doing both mine and Clare's chores. I was able to manage it for the first couple days but by the third day it got ridiculous. It helped even less that I had a broken wrist. Thankfully some of my friends were able to help me.

Every time I did see Clare, though, she looked like a completely different person. She was always fully covered despite it being summer. She wore the sunglasses I gave to her to hide her red eyes, which didn't look red anymore. They were a dull shade of brown. The glasses didn't hide the fact that she had bruises all over her face. Her mouth was bruised and puffy. Her hair was unkept and wild. I assumed that Clare had many more injuries on her body that she's trying to conceal.

Clare never looked at anyone. She never let anyone touch her. One time, Clare didn't have her glasses on. What I saw in her eyes terrified me. It was hard to explain. Insane was the closest thing I could get in describing how her eyes looked.

Today, Clare was sitting on the top stair of her cabin. She was hugging herself and rocking slightly. The hood from her sweater was over her head, as if it was a cave to hide in. Clare was a complete shadow of herself.

I couldn't take this anymore. I had to tell. I just had to. Thankfully, I still had Clare's cell phone with me, so I decided to call Optimus. He answered on the second ring.

"Clare, I'm sorry that I had to leave. I..." he began but I cut him off.

"This isn't Clare. It's Caitlin," I said quickly.

"Oh, I'm sorry Caitlin," he said sincerely. "Why are you using Clare's phone? Do you want to talk to Ironhide?"

"No, I have to talk to you," I said urgently. "It's about Clare."

Optimus went silent. After a moment, he finally asked, "Is Clare alright?" His tone changed completely. He now sounded serious and a little angry.

"No," I said straight up. "I don't know what's going on with her but she's not the same. Optimus, you should see her. Clare's.......I don't know how to explain it." I did my best to describe how Clare looked and acted. Optimus was silent the whole time, which made me nervous.

"I'm coming," Optimus finally said darkly.

"Now?" I asked.

"It will take me and the Autobots a couple of days to arrive," he said. "But we will hurry. Please watch over Clare for me."

"Of course. Thank you Optimus," I said slightly relieved.

"No, thank you for telling me," he said then hung up.

A couple of days? Damn it. I hoped to God that Clare will be able to hold on until then. I wished she hadn't told Bumblebee to go with the Autobots. He'd be here by now and would have helped Clare. I wished more that I would have told sooner. I felt as if this was all my fault.


	12. Unrecognizable

_Chapter 11! Sorry guys but it's a short chapter and I sorta rushed it. Please enjoy it and keep reviewing as always!_

_Happy Reading/ Writing!  
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Wednesday**

I got out of bed pretty early. I couldn't sleep. Being constantly worried didn't help me get any rest. Then again, I doubt being constantly worried helped anyone sleep.

I quietly tip-toed out of my cabin, avoiding making any sound. My cabin mates were still asleep and I didn't want to wake them.

After silently changing my clothes, I went to the stables. It was still fairly dark outside and a little cold. The walk to the stables took just a few minutes. My cabin was the closest to it after all.

When I got there, I saw a hooded figure standing in front of a paddock. The person was petting Smokey.

"Clare?" I called out.

The person jumped and whirled around. It was Clare. She wasn't wearing glasses today, so I could see her dead looking eyes. Her right cheek was puffy along with her eye. Her mouth was more bruised than the last time I saw her and I could see a little blood trickle down from her nose. Over all, Clare looked like an abused puppy.

I tried my best to smile and said, "Hey Clare. Long time no see. Where have you been?"

"Nowhere," she said quickly. Her eyes shifted from side to side, as if she's seeing if someone was around. There probably was.

"Clare what's going on?" I asked firmly.

"Nothing," she muttered then went back to stroking Smokey.

I walked up to Clare and put a hand on her shoulder. Clare shrieked and pulled away. Her sudden outburst startled the grey mustang behind her, causing him to toss his head and trot away. Clare backed up against the fence and held her hands above her face defensively. There was fear in her eyes. Did she think that I was going to hit her?

"I wasn't going to hurt you," I said.

My terrified friend slowly lowered her arms and whispered, "I know." Her scared eyes went back to looking dead.

"You know, if you want to talk about anything I'm here," I said.

"I don't want to talk," Clare said darkly.

"Maybe not right now, but later...." Clare cut me off.

"I said I don't want to talk." Clare's voice quivered slightly. Her dull brown eyes flashed red for a second then faded back. She stared at nothing, which scared me. 'Optimus, please hurry,' I thought. My friend was getting worse by the day.

"Ok," I said softly then walked away.

**Clare POV**

For the past week, Megatron has been visiting me every night. He's been abusing me during that time. He would always have a reason to punish me wether it was me not responding to him, not calling him "lord", or just thinking about anything other than him. I've noticed that he gets more and more angry with me for those reasons.

When I'm forced to be in bed with him, Megatron always expects me to submit to him and to enjoy the so-called pleasure he's giving to me. Submitting was easy, since that's the only thing I could do when he's around. Now, being submissive is like second nature to me, which pleases my lord greatly. Enjoying what he's giving me, however, gets harder each time he takes me.

The thing is, Megatron finds pain pleasurable. I don't, and it frustrates him. At first, Megatron enjoyed fucking me despite what my reaction was. But now, for some reason, he wants me to like it. He's sometimes gets desperate when he tries to make me moan or grab onto him. He tries to make me love him. I really don't understand why.

After failing to bring me pleasure, Megatron usually punishes me by beating me. I'm always the blame for his failures, just like Starscream. Now I know how the Seeker feels. I know how he's been feeling for all those years.

Because Megatron hits me all the time, I've gotten very paranoid. I know this because I could see it in Megatron's mind. He likes my insecurity. He enjoys watching me flinch at every one of his movements, at everyone's movements for that matter. I however hated it. I hated being like this. Being weak.

Another form of "punishment" was Megatron stopping my energon flow. It's a painful experience and it takes a while for me to regain control over my energy. Because of this, I couldn't defend myself in any way and my body couldn't heal as fast. The bruises on my body were growing larger in size and in numbers. My limbs were constantly stiff and in pain. I've grown much weaker and exhausted because it too.

The worst punishment of all if when Megatron stuffs all of his memories into my head. Each time he enters my mind I get more insane. He shows me so many disturbing things from his memories. Even his thoughts and fantasies were disturbing. Most of his memories are from war. They had a lot of death and torture. Seeing it all at the same time just made me go mad. I could sometimes hear the screams of those Autobots when they got their heads torn off. I could smell the diesel and spilled energon everywhere. I could feel their pain. It was even more painful than having my flow stopped. It takes longer for me to recover each time he does it. I feel more distant and dead afterwards. I become his mindless little......whore.

I looked up and realized that I was alone. Smokey ran away from me, scared by my outburst. I just drove Caitlin off. Damn it all: my mood swings, and my weakness. Damn myself.

"Aw. The pathetic little human is all alone," a voice snarled behind me.

I turned and saw Starscream's hologram stroll up to me. My eyes glanced at his face, then dragged down to his feet. I couldn't look at him. I just couldn't.

"What? No smart comment?" Starscream taunted. "I'm insulted."

"If you won't leave me along, Lord Megatron will get angry," I murmured. I was unable to make myself talk louder. There really was no reason to.

"Are you threatening me!?" Starscream roared, making me flinch.

"No, just warning," I said. "There is no need to give Megatron a reason to assault you or me."

Even when staring at his feet, I could tell that Starscream was shaken by what I said. Everything went silent until the hologram first broke the silence.

"Why?" he asked. "Why are you like this? You always gave Barricade a hard time back when he was online but you don't even bother with me." I heard some jealousy in his voice. He wanted the attention, it was obvious.

"I don't know," I said truthfully. "You haven't really done anything to me like Megatron and Barricade did. I have nothing against you."

Starscream came closer to me. My heart began to pound against my chest. He was really close and I did not like it. My body trembled slightly as I saw his hand reach out towards me. In a quick move, Starscream grabbed onto my hair and wrenched my head back. I gasped at the sudden move and brought my arms up. I closed my eyes in a desperate attempt to not look at the Decepticon's hologram. A whimper escaped from my lips when Starscream feathered his mouth over my cheek. He nipped at my neck a few times before nuzzling my neck. He inhaled deeply, just like Megatron does when he smells me.

Starscream let go of my hair and grabbed onto my chin then pulled my face up for his kiss. I didn't know what to do. What would happen if I grabbed onto the hologram's shirt. Should I push into him or pull away? I didn't know if he loved control like Megatron did. I didn't want to be punished for doing something Starscream didn't like. So, like always, I merely submitted to him. There was nothing else for me to do.

The hologram forced his tongue into my mouth. He pulled me closer and deepened the kiss. I whimpered as his tongue roamed my mouth, but he wasn't doing it roughly. I was somewhat relieved to feel Starscream hesitate. He could do so much more to me and he knows it. I didn't know what was holding him back though.

"Why did you say sorry?" he growled into my ear right after he broke the kiss.

"Because I knew how uncomfortable you were. I knew how much you hated Megatron and me. I was sorry that you were in that situation," I puled. "I have some of Megatron's memories, so I know how many times he has abused you. I feel like I know how you feel. I just pity you."

Starscream responded by slapping me with the back of his hand. I let out a little gasp as I fell back against the fence. The hologram grabbed my chin again and forced me to look into his furious eyes.

"You little brat," he growled. "You know nothing!" With that said, the hologram disappeared and I dropped to my knees. I faintly heard metal clanking from a distance. Then a jet suddenly flew over head and out of sight.

I hoped to gain Starscream's trust. I wished to bring him to my side. But, I guess he's just too selfish to trust me or anyone else. At least I was temporarily safe from both Starscream and Megatron. I knew for sure that Megatron won't be able to touch me for the rest of the day. He was gathering his Decepticon minions for an unknown reason.

While Megatron enters my mind, I do see a few glimpses of what he's thinking. But he's somehow able to block off most of his plans from me, which is unhelpful for my part. I knew for sure that Megatron knew who the Fallen was and I somehow had to keep the Fallen away from the Matrix; whatever that was.

I realized that the sun was coming up, so I hurried back to my cabin. I did not want to be seen by any camp councilors. They might question why I'm up so early or see my bruises. Not anything I want to talk about.

I managed to get back into my cabin safely. My cabin looked as if a tornado had gone through it. Everything was either scattered, broken, or tipped over. Clothes, furniture, everything was ruined by none other than Megatron. He took his rage out on me and my things. Once, he tried to intimidate me by smashing chairs near my face. It worked.

My suitcase sat untouched in the corner. The toy truck, named Wheelie, was still in it. Although I never bothered taking him out, the little mech still talks to me through the suitcase. He usually complains about how loud I get when Megatron's.....punishing me. Other times he says that I've got to keep strong. Wheelie calls me Warrior Goddess. I knew I should have been flattered but I wasn't. I thought of it as a lie. I wasn't a warrior nor a goddess. I was nothing close to being either.

"Hey uh, Warrior Goddess?" Wheelie called out suddenly. "How long do you plan on keepin' me in this here traveling case?"

"Depends," I said darkly. "When are you going to tell me who the Fallen is and what Megatron's planning?"

The little 'bot's groan was slightly muffled by the suitcase. "You know I can't tell you," he said.

"Well then," I said back. "You're not coming out."

Wheelie went silent and I sighed. I sat down on my torn and broken bed. My eyes roamed the scarred wall. Each time Megatron left me, I carved the symbols I saw onto the walls. It was the only way to see them without having a migraine. The symbols were like a puzzle and like any puzzle, it needed to be solved. I would have thought that having Megatron's memories would let me be able to understand and read this. But obviously that wouldn't happen.

"You know, Megatron won't be very happy with you," Wheelie said.

"When is he ever happy with me?" I sighed.

"True, but still. Soundwave just told all of us that you contacted the Autobots."

I froze. What was he talking about?

"I didn't contact the Autobots," I said hollowly. "I can't even find my cell phone. It's been gone ever since Caitlin was....." I stopped for a second, then understood what had happened. 'Caitlin took my cell phone,' I thought. 'You called the Autobots. You ratted me out again.' Oddly enough, I wasn't angry. She did the thing I never had the courage to do. I was slightly relieved. I knew that if she told Optimus about my condition, he would immediately come here and save me. But, what will he say when he sees me like this? What will he think? God, he can't see me like this. I can't tell him what happened. He'll hate me for being weak. "Optimus," I whimpered. "Please forgive me."

"Uh...sorry to interrupt but we still have the problem that involves Megatron slagging us," Wheelie said frantically.

"What's this 'we' and 'us' thing? I'm going to be the one who will get into trouble, not you. Megatron doesn't even acknowledge your existence anymore. You're just a failed toy to him" It was a harsh thing to say, but it silenced the small mech.

I quietly staggered to the bathroom, which was the only intact are in the cabin. I stared at the girl in the mirror. I didn't know who she was. Long shine-less black hair fell to her shoulders and covered half of her bruised face. Her eyes looked dead and distant. I could see that she was trembling.

I was cold and I've been cold for more than a week. It was so unnatural. My body was skinnier than usual. I haven't been eating, at all, and it's been taking a big toll on my body. My scalp was aching like no other. Probably because Megatron keeps grabbing my hair and pulling it, same with Starscream just a while ago. I hated how they did that.

Without thinking, I grabbed the scissors that were on the counter and began cutting my hair. All of it. I wasn't the best hair cutter, so it came out choppy so I kept cutting more of it off. The more I cut, the more I felt like I was losing myself but I didn't stop. Finally after much cutting, my hair was like a pixie cut. When I was done, I stared back at the mirror. I was unrecognizable. Good.

After cleaning up all of the hair, I took a quick warm shower. Washing my hair took about a minute because it was so short. The warm water felt good against my pained body. I leaned against the wall and allowed the hot sprays to beat down my body. It's been a while since I've felt this relaxed.


	13. I Hate You

_Chapter 13!!! I made he chapter long so enjoy! And don't forget to review! As for _**Aliengirlguy**_'s question: You're just going to have to wait and see. _**;)**

_Happy reading and writing!  
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Thursday**

_The room was dark and looked slightly familiar. A little girl was in bed. She should have been asleep but instead she was sitting up and giggling. I noticed that she was reading a book; Chika Chika Boom Boom_._ I loved that book when I was a kid. Then I realized that this little girl was me._

_Sadness washed through me. My heart sank while I watched little me laugh at the silly picture book. Looking back at my childhood was odd. I never realized how naive and innocent I was_. _My, have things changed._

_The younger me finally put the book away then snuggled deep into her comforters and fell asleep. The room suddenly went pitch black. All I could see was the bed little me was in.._

"_Why?" a voice growled. "Why can't I contact any of my Decepticons!?"_

_I stared in horror at the giant frozen Megatron, standing beside the girl's bed._

"_No," I said. "Go away!" I began to run towards the bed, but I was going nowhere. "Leaver her alone! Leave me alone!!"_

_The frozen Megatron began to move. But how!? He knelt down beside the girl. His giant talons brushed against the blankets and girl. I suddenly remembered the cold touch. He was there. Megatron was in my head even when I was little. He was right! No this can't be!!_

"_Stop!" I continued to yell._

"_What an odd human child," Megatron purred. "I shall enjoy killing you, slowly and painfully."_

"_Don't touch her!" I roared._

I woke up in my bed. Sweat covered my body and I was trembling. That was scary. The dream itself and the fact that he was there.

"That's just...not right," I said. My voice came out hoarse, as it I was screaming. I kinda was in a way.

My eyes immediately went to the clock. It was past 2 pm. My sleep pattern was way off and not constant. I realized that it was Thursday too. The two weeks of this hell were nearly over. Saturday, you're so close and yet so far. I had to somehow stay alive until then.

I looked around the room. My clothes and things were either ripped/destroyed or remained packed in my suitcase along with Wheelie. I haven't decided when to let him out, or even if I should. I felt a little empathetic for the little 'bot.

Slowly I dragged myself out of bed and went to the bathroom. I lazily brushed my teeth and washed my battered face. My hands feathered through my short hair. 'I wonder what Optimus might think of it,' I thought absently. Thinking about Optimus or any other Autobot was bitter sweet to me. At first I'd feel happy and slightly relieved but in the end I felt guilty. I get a little scared when I think about what their reaction would be if I told them. Hurting Optimus scared me the most. I loved him and I just didn't want to lose him.

I shook my head and splashed more water onto my face. When I looked back up at the mirror, my heart stopped. I opened my mouth to scream, but Megatron's hologram clamped his hand over it before I could make a peep. I whimpered as Megatron pulled me against him. I closed my eyes so that I couldn't look into his red gaze.

I continued to whimper as the hologram dragged me out of the bathroom. His grip around my mouth and cheeks tightened painfully.

"Silence, or I will break you jaw," he growled. Megatron sounded angry. 'Oh no,' I thought frantically. 'I'm going to be punished!' "Yes, my dear," the Decepticon purred. "You will be punished."

The hologram slammed me against the wall. His hands were on placed on both sides, next to my head to corner me. My arms immediately went up. I couldn't help it. It came instinctually now. That and flinching at every single movement near me. I stared at his chest as the hologram brought himself closer to me. He was quiet, which scared me. When he's silent it means he's angry and I don't want him to be angry. But I was more terrified of him looking at me. I could feel his red hot stare on me. It made me tremble even more. My heart was beating so fast that I could barely breath.

"Put your arms down," Megatron said. His voice was soft but it held some command in it. I didn't trust it. I brought my arms up higher and turned my face away from the hologram. I knew him. He was enjoying this. He enjoys tormenting me. He always did. "I said, put your arms down," he repeated but more forcefully.

I really didn't want to, but I did. Slowly, my arms were pulled down enough so that they didn't block my face.

"Good," Megatron breathed, his cold breath brushing my cheeks. "Now look at me."

I could tell that he was smiling. Looking a him was too much and he knew it. He was trying to break me down again. My mouth opened but only a tiny whimper came out. My hands grabbed onto my shirt as I hugged myself. The Decepticon leader let out a soft, dark chuckle.

"Clare," he purred my name. This was the first time he had ever said my name. I wished he never did. The way he said my name was scary and it sent my heart racing. "Look at me now."

It was like his voice had control over me. I just had to do what he said. After letting out another whimper, my eyes dragged themselves up to the hologram's face. Megatron looked amused, to my great dismay. His hand caressed my cheek, making me flinch away.

"Good girl," he murmured as his fingers feathered against my hair. "You know what you did wrong don't you?" I nodded gravely.

I just couldn't hold his gaze. His blood red eyes were too intimidating to look at, but I knew that Megatron would be angry if I didn't do as he commanded. I kept on flickered my eyes up at his face every time they drifted down. Doing this made him smile.

"You know that I hate it when you think about Prime. I've told you before that you're not allowed to think about him, ever," he growled despite the light smirk on his face.

I froze. 'But what about the phone call?' I thought quickly.

"Ah yes," the tyrant sighed. "There's that. Soundwave has told me that your little friend is the one who made contact with the Autobots. So it isn't entirely your fault." Pause. "After I'm done with you, I will just send that pretender to get rid of her." 'Pretender?' I thought. Megatron's smile widened. "Yes, the one designated Alice. She's been keeping an optic on you until you attacked her. I never knew you can be so.....vicious." He sounded pleasant when he said that.

"No!" I said quickly. Megatron slapped my without warning.

"I did not tell you to speak!" he roared. I felt like crying but no tears fell. I had no more to let out.

"Please," I wailed. "Please leave Caitlin alone." The hologram grabbed me by my neck and slammed me back against the wall.

"Silence!" he snarled. "It won't be hard for me to snap your scrawny neck, child." I finally shut up and the hologram slowly released my neck.

Megatron's cold lips brushed against my cheek, causing me to panic a little. He held my cheeks as he kissed my lips gently. I grew suspicious. His actions were way too gentle. Something was coming.

The hologram's hand drifted down to my stomach. His hand went down my pants and into my underwear. I shrieked and jerked away. Megatron grabbed me by the back of my neck as his fingers went into my womanhood. I squirmed as he fingered me.

"Stop moving," he said darkly. I couldn't help myself when I grabbed into the hologram's shirt. I gritted my teeth, trying to keep myself from moaning. Megatron pushed in deeper. "You're already so wet," he said gently. "You're all ready for me aren't you?"

He pressed his lips onto mine again as he slid another finger into me. It took a lot of effort to not make any sound. Making sounds excites him, I realized, and it will make him more aggressive. He's like a predator. If you run away from him, he will chase you.

Megatron began to finger me deeper and faster. He watched me with a smirk on his face. The hologram leaned against me and purred cryptic words into my ear. He was speaking in Cybertronian. I couldn't understand what he was saying but I could tell that his words were filled with lust.

The hologram finally pulled his fingers out of me and his hand out of my pants. I shivered at the wet feeling down there. I noticed that the hologram was eyeing his wet fingers. It reminded me of when he was staring at my blood on his talons in Hoover Dam. Not the greatest memory. Like before, Megatron slipped his fingers into his mouth and sucked then clean. It was sickening to watch. He noticed me staring at him and smirked.

"Don't worry my little whore," he said gently. "I'll share with you."

The hologram grabbed my by my chin and forced his fingers into my mouth. I really couldn't do anything but suck them. Megatron leaned closer to me again.

"Yes, clean them off for me," he whispered then ran his tongue over my cheek.

I did as he said until he pulled his fingers out of my mouth and replaced then with his tongue. He pressed his body against me as he pushed his tongue deeper down into my throat. For a moment, I thought about biting his tongue off. It would have been great except he would probably beat me to death. Before I decided if I should do it, Megatron pulled away.

"You wouldn't," he growled. He was reading my mind again. I dropped my eyes in defeat but I could still feel the hologram's glare. I couldn't hold his gaze.

After a minute, Megatron growled again and I heard him unzip his pants. My eyes widened a little in fear. The Decepticon pressed his body against me again and pulled my pants down. I quickly tried to push him away and scream, "No!"

Megatron slapped me, knocking me back against the wall.

"Yes," he growled and tore my underwear off. He lifted one of my legs of and thrust himself full into me once again. I held in my pained scream. My body was already weak and this extra pain was too much. My body gave in and I slumped onto the hologram, who chuckled at my state.

I wrapped my arms around the hologram's neck as he wrapped my legs around his waist. He pushed me up against the wall, trapping me. I was his to take.

Megatron began to pump in and out of me as always. But, to my surprise, he wasn't doing it roughly. His thrusts were smooth and somewhat passionate. Was he trying to win me over? If he was, I wasn't falling for it. Every time Megatron fucked me, I felt less desire for him. All that longing and lust were gone.

The hologram rested his chin against my shoulder. His lips brushed against my ear as he growled more lustful Cybertronian words.

I felt his pleasure growing inside of me. His, not mine. He I _was_ trying to win me over. Megatron was trying to pleasure me. He knew that he was failing so he was trying to pour his pleasure and lust into me. At first it worked.....a little. But I was able to fight most of it away. I didn't want to be like this. I didn't want to feel his pleasure. And I don't want to lust for him.

I had to fight the urge to grab the hologram's hair. I've done it before, but Megatron didn't like that. So I got a beating for it. He loves control and hates it when I touch him. He can kiss and touch me all he wanted but I wasn't allowed to do the same to him.

After a while of being pumped, Megatron finally stopped and pulled away. All the pleasure vanished and was immediately replaced by pain. I dropped to the floor, for my legs couldn't hold me up. My body shook from the anguish. My vagina was sore and dripping.

Megatron knelt down to me level after he zipped his pants up. He kissed me gently and lovingly. His fingers feathered up and down my thighs as he did so. Despite his gentle touches, Megatron was agitated. I could sense his frustration. He was losing his grasp on me. I didn't exactly know why or how. Nor did I care.

Suddenly, he grabbed me by my shoulders and pushed me down so I was laying on my back. Megatron roughly grabbed my legs and pulled them up over his shoulders. I could feel his chilling breath against my vagina.

Without hesitation, the hologram stuck his tongue into my vagina. I gasped at the cool feeling in my sore vagina. I squirmed a little as he licked and sucked all of my juices out of my womanhood. The sensation was so....odd. It wasn't painful, it was just weird. I couldn't help myself when I let out a loud moan. I felt Megatron smirk. He thought I was enjoying this.

He stuck his tongue in deeper and his sucking became more rough. My body arched slightly. My hand balled into a fist as I pressed it against my forehead. My breathing came out as desperate gasps and my face felt hot as I blushed. Damn myself. I did like this.

After for what felt like an hour, Megatron finally sopped sucking. My eyes met his for a second. I saw the familiar malevolent hunger in his eyes. He was still smirking at me. I just noticed how handsome he his hologram was. I always knew he was good looking but it really hit me now. His fierce expressions looked perfect against his striking features.

As the hologram slid my legs off of his shoulders, I stared at his body. Megatron's hologram always left his dress shirt open, so his luscious ghostly pale body was always in full view. He was so attractive, even more than Prime's hologram.

Oddly enough, I still didn't desire him. Not even lust. The truth was, I hated him. It was like when Barricade was around. The more I saw him, the more hate I felt towards him. I didn't let this gorgeous hologram distract me. The hologram was just a mask to hide his true self. To hide the grotesque monster that he was.

Was that why he was being gentle with me? Does he want me to love him? I didn't understand.

The hologram pulled me up against him and held me. He began to rock me gently, as if trying to comfort me. I was getting more and more confused. This was so odd.

"I don't believe that you hate me," he murmured. "Tell me how you really feel about me." I stayed quiet. I did my best to keep my mind empty. "Tell me how you feel....my love."

My mind snapped at that moment. Without thinking or hesitating, I smacked the hologram with the back of my fist. I was fueled by unimaginable fury. For Megatron to call me his love was the final straw. Optimus was the only one who can call me his love. Him and only him. Not Megatron. Never Megatron.

The Decepticon leader was completely stunned. He touched the cheek that I hit. I jerked away from him and stood up. My legs were a bit wobbly bit I was able to back away from the hologram. I glared at my Megatron. My fists shook with anger.

Megatron's red eyes flashed a me. He was beyond angry as was I. He slowly stood up, still glared at me.

"How dare you," he growled. His voice was low and promised death.

"How dare I!?" I snapped. "How dare you! How dare you call me your love!" I felt all of my anger from the past year and a half burst right out. I yelled and cried at the furious hologram. "I hate you! I hate how you treat me. I hate how you look, talk, sound, EVERYTHING!" The hologram punched me and I stumbled back, but still continued. "I have done nothing to you and yet you have something against me. You harass me. You hurt me. You torture me. Why? Why do you do this? Why are you this pathetic!?"

"Shut up!" Megatron roared and punched me again, knocking me down. I was on all fours, blood dripping from my mouth. I didn't care.

"You think that Optimus is jealous of you. No, he's not jealous. You are," I growled between clenched teeth. "You know that I will never love or desire you. That's why you force me to. You fill my head with what you want me to think and you force me to submit to you. You really thought that will make me love you. That's just pitiful."

"I said shut up!!" he roared again and kicked my stomach.

All the air was knocked out of me and I collapsed to the floor. More blood spilled out of my mouth and my stomach ached. Megatron took his chance and grabbed my right arm. He roughly pulled me up, nearly tearing my arm off.

"You little slut," he snarled at my face. "You think _you're_ strong just because you have the Autobots? You're the one who's pathetic. You're the one who submitted to me all those times. How will the Autobots take you back when they find out what you've down? What will your slagging Prime think!?"

He was so fucking right. But I didn't care at that moment. Somehow, the thought didn't bother me. All that mattered to me was how I was going to get out of this hell.

"I don't care," I said almost to myself. "I love them all no matter what."

"Too bad they won't love you back," Megatron sneered.

"Even so, I'd rather be with them than with you," I growled. "Hell, I'd rather be dead than be with you!"

The hologram grabbed my neck with his other hand and snarled, "That can be arranged."

"Do you're worst," I spat back. I knew it was stupid to challenge him, especially since he would take the challenge without hesitation. But, I was beyond furious and I wanted to take it out on him.

Megatron, still holding my neck, slammed me down onto the ground. I coughed up more blood. That kick to the stomach must have ruptured an organ. I was in so much pain but I tried not to dwell on it.

I looked up at Megatron's hologram. His face was twisted with rage. He looked like his real self. Like a monster.

"You're stupid to challenge me like this," he said lowly. "I can't kill you. Not yet. But I can torture you until you beg me to end your pitiful life."

His grip on my right arm tightened. I was ready for him this time. Before he did anything else, I began to build my energy up myself. Sadly, Megatron noticed and tried to control the building energy. What happened next surprised me. All that energy either left my body or went to my stomach. The energy that left my arm went straight into the hologram, who yelled out but didn't disappear. He still had a hold on my arm, which I realized was bad. That exploding feeling came back in my arm. I screamed out in pain. Finally the hologram let go then vanished.

I laid there gasping for breath. My arm was throbbing to no end, but my stomach felt normal again. The energy that went to my stomach must have healed it. Good.

I slowly got up and went to the bathroom. My eyes went to the girl in the mirror. I didn't see a pathetic battered girl anymore. I saw me. I didn't know if the thought should comfort me or not, but I let it go and splashed cold water onto my face. After cleaned off the blood, I came back out and searched for underwear.

"Wow, Warrior Goddess," I heard Wheelie say, "You really showed that Megatron." I ignored him. I finally found a clean pair of underwear and pulled it on. Then I pulled some jeans on. "So what are you gonna do about that..uh...Alice?"

I froze. Dammit. I nearly forgot about Caitlin. I frantically pulled socks and shoes on and grabbed the suitcase Wheelie was in.

"You're coming with me," I said.

"Wait! Why?" Wheelie yelled out. "Can't you just let me go?"

"No. You may be of some use to me," I said and dragged the suitcase outside. It was much heavier than I remembered. Or maybe I was just weak at the moment.

To my dismay, the first person I see was Leo. Damn it all. I stopped when I saw him. Leo stared at me, shocked.

"What the hell happened to you?" he asked.

"Not now," I said quickly and walked passed him. Leo followed me.

"Where have you been? I haven't seen you for a week! And why were you screaming? Were you guys doing it rough?"

"Shut the fuck up," I growled. To my irritation Leo didn't shut up. He continue to talk as if I never said anything.

"Anyway, I just saw Alice. She was looking for your friend you know."

I froze again, then turned around to face Leo.

"Where is Caitlin?" I asked darkly.

"I don't know," Leo said with a shrug. "But I think she might be at the lake. That's where Alice headed off to."

I took off at a dead run, dragging the suitcase behind me.

"Hey wait!" I heard Leo call out. "Why are you in such a hurry!?"

I ignored his yells and kept on running. I prayed for him to not follow. He was obnoxious but I didn't want to bring him into any danger. He doesn't deserve that. No one does.

I had a feeling that Megatron was waiting for me at the lake. He could take me if he wanted. He could kill me even. But he can't hurt my friends. I won't allow that.


	14. Chaos

_Chapter 14!!! Whew. I just typed this one and it's pretty long. I hope you enjoy it, and review!! As for _**Aliengirlguy**_'s question: I haven't really put much thought in Caitlin and Ironhide's relationship yet. I might make them more close, but not as close as say Clare and Optimus are. Hope that answers your question._

_Happy reading/writing_

* * *

The lake was a little far and sprinting there when I was already tired and in pain was hard. If that wasn't difficult enough, I had to drag the suitcase too. It was a bitch but Wheelie knew something. He will talk, I just know it.

Finally I got to the lake. As expected, there were a lot of people around. Many were in the water, swimming. My eyes scanned the area, trying to pick out my friend. I really hoped that she wasn't in the lake. I didn't want to go in the water. Finally, to my relief, I saw Caitlin. She was sitting against a tree, reading a book.

"Whew! You sure can run fast," I heard Leo say. Damn him. He followed.

I whirled around and said, "Why did you follow me?"

Leo just stared at me confused. His body stiffened slightly as I glared at him.

"Is something wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing, now get out of here," I muttered.

"Why?"

I let out a pained groan then said, "If anything happens don't come crying to me." Then I went to Caitlin. My friend saw me and froze. Her grey eyes widened and she stood up abruptly.

"Oh my god," she breathed. "Clare are you alright?"

"No," I said quickly. "But enough about me. We need to get out of here."

"What? Why?" she asked then suddenly jumped. She dropped her book, reached into her pocket, and pulled out my cell phone, which was vibrating. She stared at my phone then glanced at me guiltily.

"Caitlin, I know that you called the Autobots," I said darkly.

"You do?" Caitlin asked quietly. I nodded. "Clare, I know you hate it when I tattle, but you were really..."

"Save it," I said, cutting Caitlin off. "I understand and appreciate you're concern. And I thank you, but know is not the time."

"Can you at least tell me what's going on?"

"Alice is after you."

"Alice? You mean that girl you told me about? The one who tried to make out with you?"

"What!?" Leo shrieked. "Alice made out with you!? She's a lesbo?!"

I ignored him and answered Caitlin. "Yes."

"Why?" she asked baffled.

"Because you called the Autobots," I said a little impatiently.

"What the hell!" Caitlin yelled. "Does everyone know that I called Optimus?"

Again, I ignored the statement. My attention was on my cell phone in Caitlin's hand. It was vibrating again.

"Who it is?" I asked softly.

"Bumblebee," Caitlin said and held my phone out to me. "You wanna anser it?"

I backed away and said, "No, I can't. You do it."

After staring at me for a second, Caitlin finally answered. "Hello?" she said. "Hey Bumblebee...." Pause. "Where at the la..." Something wrapped around Caitlin's neck and began to choke her. It was a long metal tentacle with....a tongue at the end.

Behind Caitlin was Alice. To my horror, the tentacle was coming out of her mouth. Leo saw this too and began to scream. This caught other people's attention and all hell broke loose. Everyone around began to scream and point at Alice as her skin began to disintegrate. She was now a silver robot. Her eyes were glowing blue. There were some tentacles on her head that reminded me of snakes, like Medusa. Her over all appearance reminded me of that little mech, Frenzy.

As people ran around like maniacs, I picked up my suitcase and chucked it at Alice. The Pretender, as Megatron called her, let go of Caitlin and ducked. My friend immediately ran behind me and I advanced towards the silver femme.

Alice snarled at me. Her tentacle tongue sprang out again and grabbed onto my right arm. The tentacle was pointy and it hurt as it tightened it's grip around my burnt arm. Alice began to drag me towards her. I angrily grabbed hold of her tongue tentacle and without effort, tore it right out of her mouth.

The Pretender screamed and stumbled back. I heard Caitlin gasped behind me and Leo whimpered something in Spanish. I threw the tentacle, which was still moving, away from me and watched it wiggle helplessly around. Alice was glaring at me. Her blue eyes drifted down to the ground. My eyes followed her gaze and saw my cell phone on the ground. It was vibrating again. The Pretender cackled before crushing my phone under her foot.

"Now you can't get any help from your Autobots," she snarled. "I know I'm not allowed to kill you," she said pointing at me. "But I can kill the other two. The question is, which human should I kill first?" The Pretender still had Alice's human like voice, except it sounded more cruel. "The boy was very irritating, so I guess I'll get rid of him first."

"No," I said firmly. "You're not hurting anyone but me."

"Clare," Caitlin squeaked. "What are you saying?"

The silver femme cocked her head to the side. Her oddly blue eyes stared at me. Somehow, I was able to hold her gaze.

"You're willing to sacrifice yourself for those two?" she asked incredulously.

"Yes," I said simply.

"Fine. They can go," Alice said dryly. "They're both going to die soon anyway."

"Ok! I'll go then!" Leo said loudly. I glanced back at the frightened girl and collage boy. I realized that we were the only one's here. Everyone else ran away. Good. The means less people will get hurt.

To my surprise Caitlin was glaring at Leo as he backed away. She grabbed him and said, "Oh no you don't! We are both returning the favor and watching Clare's back."

I sighed and said, " Caitlin, thank you for being there. But you need to go. And don't forget to take my suitcase. It's important."

"No, we're not leaving without you.," Caitlin said. "I'm your friend and I'm staying by your side." I stayed quiet for I had no idea what to say.

Alice growled irritably. "How annoying," she snarled. "Forget it. I'll just kill them both!"

Startlingly, Alice's severed tongue tentacle wrapped itself around Caitlin. My friend shrieked and fell over. The Pretender quickly ran up to me and knocked me into Leo. I fell over and watched as Alice grabbed Caitlin. Alice dragged my friend away and slammed her onto the ground.

I quickly got to my feet and yelled, "Caitlin!"

Then suddenly, I heard metal clanking nearby. My body froze as I heard large footsteps. My mind went blank when a tall silver mech emerged from the forest. Megatron. I heard Caitlin gasp and Leo screamed.

"Oh shit! Oh shit!" he yelled frantically. "What the hell is that!?"

Megatron snarled at Leo, but his eyes settled on me. He slowly advanced towards me, while I stared up at him.

"Hello my little pet," he said lowly. "Your punishment isn't over yet."

Slowly, I backed away from the Decepticon leader. My mind was clouded by fear and anger. I was trembling too.

I realized that Megatron looked a bit different. His right arm was a tad larger thank his left, and his shoulder was large and spike-like. His legs were larger and more bulky than before. Everything else was the same. His face, teeth, eyes. He even had his long talon like fingers. He was as scary as before, maybe even more with the look in his eyes.

Megatron was still gazing down at me as he continued to come closer. I could hear Leo and Caitlin whimpering in fear behind me. Dammit. There was only one thing to do and I hated doing it. Beg.

"Please my lord," I forced myself to say. "Let them go. They haven't done anything to you."

Megatron merely laughed at me. "That's it?" he mocked. "You can beg better than that."

He wanted me to submit, as always. I told myself that he can take me and not my friends, so I can't back down now. My eyes dropped and I went down to my knees.

"Lord Megatron," I said in a strained tone. "Please, let these two go. I beg you. Take me instead."

The tyrant let out a deep chuckle. "No," he purred. I felt my heart sink as the Decepticon continued. "I'll make you watch as their flesh is being stripped off from their very bones. After your punishment is over, that is."

With that said, Megatron lunged at me. I was about to get up but the large mech used his talons to pin me town. He twisted my right arm in a painful way. I let out a scream as he slowly tightened his grip. I didn't know if he was going to tear my arm off or crush it.

"Oh yes," Megatron breathed. "It feels good to grab your flesh. I could break you, tear you so easily. Yes, I would just love to do that." His talons caressed my body, making me shiver.

"Clare! Clare!" Caitlin shrieked. She was watching me in horror. I could see her trying to fight Alice off.

"Shut up, Caitlin," I growled, trying to endure the pain that ran through my body. I felt Megatron's lust for my pain. I waited for the worst to come, which eventually did.

Energy came into my arm, then was released up into my brain. An exploding amount of memories came into my mind. As always, too many at once. All were of me getting raped by Megatron. It was like everything in the past week happening all over again. Repeating itself over and over. This was the worst he's done. The worst he's shown. I helplessly watched myself getting forced into submission. Forced to watch it all happen again and again! It was endless!!

"_Hurts doesn't it," he murmured as he pumped into her deeper, faster, and harder._

"_Yes my little whore, take it," he growled as he pushed the girl against the wall to fuck her. "Take it all."_

"_Let me feel your pain." _

"_Yes, clean them off for me," he said and forced his fingers into her mouth._

I heard a distant scream. It was filled with insanity and anguish. It was bloodcurdling.

'Who was screaming!? Stop screaming!'

Megatron's laughter was also heard along with his cruel taunts."Yes! Suffer my little whore! SUFFER!!" he roared and laughed manically.

The memories. The images of Megatron hammering into me continued to overflow in my mind. I could see it all happening again. All at once. I could hear all the animalistic sounds he made. His sick words and my helpless screams. I could feel it! The pain. All the pain from the week. The pain from then and now mixed together, causing unimaginable anguish throughout my body and mind.

Megatron's voice and laughter echoed in my ears. I didn't know how long I could take this torture.

'It was too much. Too much! Make it stop! Make it all stop! End it!! JUST KILL ME!!!'

Suddenly, somewhere outside of all this chaos, a familiar voice called out to me.

"CLARE!"

**Bumblebee POV**

**a few minutes earlier**

Jazz and I sped through the forest, trying to find Caitlin and Clare. I tried calling Clare's phone earlier but Caitlin answered again. She was about to tell me where her location was but was cut off. I tried calling again but the signal died. It made me even more worried. At least Jazz was able to track signal.

Just a week ago, Optimus, Sideswipe, the twins and I went to visit Clare. Later that day, Optimus told us about Clare's odd mood swings and her eyes. And, just a couple days ago, Caitlin called Optimus and says that Clare was acting differently.

Jolt, Arcee, Chromia, and Flareup had to stay at the base while the rest of left. We split up into two groups. Optimus, Jazz, and I were allowed to leave first. I don't know how far the others were behind us. I didn't understand why Optimus needed all of us, though, until a Decepticon named Grinder was spotted nearby. My leader decided to pursue him and told us to find our human friend.

So, it was just me and Jazz. We were approaching the nearby lake when we heard a deafening sound. It was horrific and sounded out of this world. It almost sounded like a scream. There was also laughter, which sounded mad. Oh Primus.

I picked up speed and raced towards the sound, preying that it wasn't my friend. My spark ached with guilt. My processor was clouded by the fear of what was happening. I threaded around frantically, trying to dodge trees and other organisms in my path. Jazz was behind me and was having trouble keeping up. I didn't care. I needed to find my precious Clare.

When I was just a few feet away from the edge of the forest, I transformed and burst through the trees that were in my way.

"CLARE!" I yelled. My whole frame froze. The sight shocked me entirely. Megatron, was......online. But how?

I was horrified to see the silver mech holding Clare down. He was laughing at her as her body contorted as if in intense pain. She was the one making that dire inhuman sound. She was the one screaming. I saw Caitlin being pinned down by a much smaller femme. She was sobbing Clare's name.

Megatron finally acknowledge my presence by glancing at me. He snarled, baring his sharp dentals.

"How annoying," he growling lowly. "The Autobots arrive right when I'm having the most fun."

My processor went blank as I lifted up my cannon and blasted blindly at Megatron. I have never felt so enraged like this before. Megatron quickly let go of Clare and dodged. He was grinning at me as I charged at him. I still shot at the silver mech, wishing that all my blasts would reach his spark chamber.

Jazz jumped out from the trees, still in vehicle mode, and crashed into Megatron. The Decepticon leader fell over. The silver femme, that was on Caitlin, sprang up and leaped onto Jazz's alternative mode. The lieutenant transformed as the femme began to break through his windshield.

"Get off me you bitch," Jazz growled and grabbed the little femme. He quickly threw her to the ground and pointed his weapon at her. Before he was able to shoot, Megatron grabbed him and threw him down. I took my chance and blasted the femme to bits before she attacked me or the girls.

Jazz was able to quickly get back onto his feet and sidestepped over to me. Megatron growled and faced us both. His right servo transformed into a crustacean-like claw. It was a cannon, to my dismay.

"Oh slag," Jazz breathed.

"You Autobots have hit my last circuit," Megatron snarled and shot at us. I got hit twice, right in my chest plates. My frame fell back and smashed into nearby trees.

Still dazed, I stood up. I was able to focus my optics again. I saw Megatron slam Jazz to the ground. My brave ally blasted Megatron's visage and immediately stood up when the larger mech released him.

While those two were occupied, I went over to Clare and Caitlin.....and a third human. It was a male, who seemed older than the two females. He let out a shriek when he saw me. Caitlin turned to me, her face wet from tears.

"Bumblebee, she's not moving. I don't know what's wrong with her!" she sobbed frantically.

"Oh shit," the male human breathed. "I was right! These things exist!"

I ignored the human and knelt down to Clare. She laid there with her limbs spread out. He pale skin had black blotches everywhere. I recognized them as bruises. Her usual glowing blue eyes where dull brown and dead looking. At first, I thought that her hair was missing. Then, I realized that it was just much shorter than before. I stared in disbelief at my friend.

"Clare," I said softly as I feathered my fingers onto her beaten frame. The girl jerked away and shrieked. Her eyes looked up at me. They were filled with fear.

"Bu...Bumblebee," Clare said hoarsely.

"Shhh. Yes, I'm here. Now let's get you out of here."

Clare's eyes widened in horror. "He won't let me," she said panicked. "He won't leave me alone! He won't leave my mind!!" Her frame shook as she screamed and sobbed wordlessly.

I gently picked Clare up and held her against me chest plates. To my surprise, Clare screamed and panicked even more. I pulled her away when I realized that she was scared of me. But why?

"Bumblebee! Watch out!" I heard Jazz yell.

I turned and faced Megatron as he punched me. I stumbled back a little before Megatron wrapped his talons around my neck.

"My pet! Give her to me!" he roared.

"No!" the human in my hands shrieked. "Keep him away!"

Megatron growled angrily. He let go of my neck and kicked me down. I still held onto Clare even though she was struggling against my grip. I was about to get up but the Decepticon leader stood over me. He quickly stomped his foot down onto my servo; the one that was holding Clare. Her terror was continuing to rise up to a dangerous level. She has never been like this before. I didn't understand why or how she's like this.

"Give her back, now," the silver Decepticon said lowly.

I glared up at him and said, "No."

Megatron pressed all of his weight down onto my servo. The pain was so intense that I gasped.

"Do you really want to fight me, Autobot?" he asked in a dangerously low voice. "Release my pet or I shall blast your spark out of you pathetic frame."

He threatened me before on Cybertron. I knew that Megatron was not a mech who bluffs. I lost my vocals because of Megatron, and now, I was probably going to loose my life. I didn't want to die. Clare needed me and I didn't want to leave her. But, I didn't want to hand her over either.

My optics narrowed up at the silver Decepticon. Surprisingly, my vocals came out as a growl when I said, "I will never hand her over."

Megatron's optics narrowed as well. He pointed his cannon down at my spark. Before he was able to shoot, something hit him from behind. The Decepticon looked back and glared at Ironhide, then kicked me away towards more trees. Clare fell out of my hand and stumbled to the ground. I could see Megatron looking at her and grinning. Oh no.

Clare looked up and froze. Megatron walked up to her and knelt down. Ironhide, Jazz, and I all shot at the Decepticon together. The mech fell forward, narrowly missed Clare. The frightened human screamed and frantically ran off into the forest. Megatron growled, transformed, then went after her in his new alternative mode.

I was still laying on my back, trying to endure the pain in my servo. Caitlin ran up to me. She was dragging Clare's suitcase. A muffled yell was coming out from it. Curious. I wondered what it was. I noticed that the human boy was behind Caitlin, still staring at me.

"Bumblebee are you ok?" Caitlin asked.

I sat up and rubbed my injured servo. It was damaged, but not too badly. It won't take Ratchet long to fix it.

"I've felt better," I grunted. Jazz and Ironhide came up to me and helped me stand up. "We have to go after them."

"No," Ironhide said. "We've got another problem." Our weapon specialist pointed up to the sky. Grinder was circling us.

"Oh slag, again," Jazz muttered. "How far are the others?"

"I don't know, but I doubt that they'll make it anytime soon," Ironhide grumbled. He glanced down at Caitlin and the boy then said, "Bumblebee, take the humans to a safer area."

"But what about Clare!?" I asked immediately. "She needs me. Now, more than ever!"

"Don't worry Bumblebee," Jazz said reassuringly. "Optimus is heading her way. He'll be able to take on Megatron."

"Yeah, besides we've got company," Ironhide growled as Grinder finally transformed and landed. "Now GO!"

I quickly transformed into my vehicle mode. Caitlin and the boy jumped in. Caitlin was still dragging the suitcase in with her. I wanted to ask her why she had Clare's suitcase but decided that know's not the time.

As Jazz and Ironhide began their battle against Grinder, I sped off to find a safe place.


	15. Shattered

_Chapter 15 is finally out. Oh, geez. It has been a long while. Thankfully, summer is coming and I'll have more time to update sooner. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this long chapter. It was a little heart breaking to write but oh well. Don't forget to make reviews!_

_Happy reading and writing!  
_

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Optimus POV**

I just lost sight of Grinder. He must have turned and went to the opposite direction. When I was about to turn back, my comm. buzzed. It was Jazz. He said that they've lost Clare and Megatron. My spark went numb when I heard my brother's name. He was back online. Slag it all. Apparently, they were both heading my way.

Jazz also mentioned that Clare was very disturbed. I didn't understand what he mean by that but I got worried. Caitlin's description of her condition concerned me but now Jazz calls her disturbing. Has she gotten worse since Caitlin called?

My thought was interrupted when suddenly, something ran out in front of me. I stopped abruptly as the creature shrieked and fell over. The scream sounded familiar. I knew that scream.

"Clare!" I yelled. My hologram jumped out of my vehicle self, then froze.

I stared at the terrified human. Clare looked worse than how Caitlin described her to be. She looked horrific. The injuries that covered her body, I didn't know if I should be angry or scared for her. Her eyes were wide with true fear. I could hear her shallow whimpers. It took me a moment to realize that her hair was also much shorter than before.

I could clearly see her shaking and making little jerking motions. Her arms were blocking her face defensively. She wasn't looking at me, at all. This is by far, the worse condition Clare has ever been in. I felt as if my spark has been ripped out from my chassis. My love, what happened to you?

Very slowly, my hologram went up to Clare. She whimpered more as I got closer.

"Clare," I said as softly as I could. "It' me. It's Optimus." I tried my best to talk slowly so she could understand more. Still keeping every movement slow, I knelt down. "Clare. I will not hurt you. Please, just look at me." I didn't want to push her but I knew that I had to.

Clare's eyes flickered up to me then widened. She stared at me as if I was a complete stranger. Her arms slowly went down so I could see the bruises on her face. I tried to stay calm and pushed my anger away. I didn't want to scare her more than she already was.

"O.....Opti..mus?" Clare stammered. "Optimus?"

"Yes, it's me," I said gently. I had to fight the urge to hug her. She was beyond panicked, and I could tell by her movements that she did not want to be touched in any way. Tears began to stream down her dull brown eyes.

"Optimus," she whispered again. "OPTIMUS!" She screamed my name and jumped onto my hologram. Clare sobbed my name hysterically over and over.

I was stunned to see her leap onto my hologram like that. All I did was hold her. I didn't know what else to do. Clare's mental state seemed unstable and anything could break her. Permanently.

"Clare, I'm sorry," I whispered. My voice shook as did my hologram's frame. If I was human, I'd probably be crying along with her. Seeing Clare like this was just....shattering. Clare's small frame tried desperately to press herself against me. Her attempt were feeble and I held her tighter, still cautious of hurting her. "I'm so sorry that I left you." My love continued to sob my name and dug her face into my hologram's chest as I continued to absently apologize.

Suddenly, Clare jerked away from me. She stood up and staggered over towards my vehicle self. She looked towards the direction she came from.

"He's coming!" she said. "Please don't let him get me. Please!"

For some reason, I knew it was Megatron she was talking about. I quickly offlined my hologram and transformed to my robot mode. Clare jumped away from me. I knelt down to her level.

"No, please don't be afraid," I said. "It's only me." I tried reassuring her. Clare wouldn't look at me. I hoped that when this was over, I could bring her back. Back from her...hell, as the humans would call it.

"There you are!" a horrifying familiar voice snarled. Clare screamed as a silver tank-like vehicle rolled out. The tank transformed into, none other than, Megatron and lunged at me. I quickly pushed Clare away as my brother tackled me. We both rolled onto the ground, wrestling each other. I soon became annoyed and kicked Megatron off. I heard Clare call out my name in an panicked tone.

"Hide Clare!" I yelled. "HIDE!" I punched Megatron right in his visage. From the corner of my optic, I saw Clare run. Good.

"Weak!" Megatron roared. I grabbed the nearest tree and smashed it down onto the Decepticon. "Puny!"

"Waste of metal," I growled and smashed my fist into his back. Megatron grunted in pain as his frame arched slightly at the hit. He quickly turned and swung a servo at me but I ducked in time and kicked his abdomen. "Junk. Yard. Scum!" I growled and emphasized each word by hitting Megatron with my plasma blade. My brother backed away as he tried to regain his balance.

"Decepticons!" he called out.

Suddenly, Starscream flew over, transformed, and landed. He ran up to me and tackled me down. I angrily kicked him away but was greeted by Megatron's fist. I stumbled back as Starscream ran past me.

"Come here, girl," I heard him hiss. He was after Clare. Slag!

While I was distracted, Megatron charged up his cannon and shot me. I flew back and fell into multiple trees. Megatron laughed at my state then ran off after Starscream. After letting out an agitated groan, I got up and ran after the Decepticons.

"Primus please. Let Clare get out of this safely," I whispered as I pursued them.

**Clare POV**

Optimus told me to run, and I did. I ran as fast as I could, which wasn't fast at all. I was tired, weak, and panicked. My throat was closed from fear, so I stopped running. The thought of Optimus holding me popped up in my head, then I began to hyperventilate. 'He held me,' I thought. 'He held me even though I betrayed him. What will he say when he finds out? What will he think?' My hyperventilating got worse. I quickly pulled my shirt up and breathed into it. Thankfully, I was able to breath normally again.

I fell to my knees and tried to calm down. Thinking about Optimus helped. I realized that he loved me. He will never leave me. He always said that...but in the end he does leave. He lied.

"He'll just leave again when this is over," I whispered. The thought broke my heart.

"There you are!" someone hissed. My head jerked to the side. Starscream was standing a few yards away. His red eyes staring down at me. "You're coming with me, girl," he growled. I quickly got to my feet and backed away.

"Please stop," I whimpered. "Just go away." The Seeker merely laughed and advanced towards me.

"I can't to that child. Our lord needs us," he said softly.

I shook my head and continued to back away. Starscream soon lost his patience then lunged at me. I jumped back then took off at a dead run.

"Fool! You really think you can escape from me?" Starscream sneered and ran after me. I didn't know how much longer I was able to run. I was tiring out fast. Suddenly, Megatron jumped out in front of me. I screamed and skidded to a stop.

"There you are my little pet," Megatron purred. "There's no need to run." Without warning, Optimus burst through the trees. He grabbed a shocked Megatron by the waist and bulldozed him to the ground. I've never felt so relieved to see Optimus. Every time I saw him, I felt so....happy. So safe.

"Go Clare!" Optimus yelled. "Hide!" I ran past the battling robots and found a log to hide behind. I was able to watch the fight at a safe distance.

Megatron kicked Optimus but Prime grabbed his leg and slammed his elbow onto the joint. Megatron grunted and fell over. While he was down, Starscream ran up behind Optimus and shot at him. Prime quickly dodged and grabbed Starscream by his neck. The seeker continued to shoot blindly as Optimus swung him towards Megatron. The Decepticon collided into his lord, causing them both to fall over.

Then, a large black helicopter flew by. I felt my heart stop. 'What the hell?' I thought. 'How is Blackout alive?' But a name popped into my mind: Grinder. This was Grinder, not Blackout. They looked the same, though.

Grinder transformed and quickly charged at Optimus. My heart sunk when the Decepticon shoved Optimus to the ground. Megatron laughed at the Autobot leader, then turned to his Decepticon minions and said, "There is another energon source hidden on this planet. Get the girl. She knows where it is." I didn't know what he was talking about. I knew nothing about an energon source.

Optimus staggered to his feet. He extended his orange blade. His blue eyes glared at the three Decepticons. I watched in aw as the Autobot leader fought.

'_He's fighting for you_," a voice whispered in my head.

"My Optimus Prime," I whispered. I felt so reassured when I watched him fight. Knowing that he's fighting for me relieved my bruised soul. Optimus will always be with me. In any way possible.

I was starting to feel like my old self again, until I saw Megatron kick Optimus brutally in the face. Grinder, who was behind Prime, ground his fist into Optimus' back. The Autobot leader grunted and jerked away only to be kicked back by Megatron. Optimus fell to his knees, which gave Starscream the opportunity to shoot at him. To my dismay, Optimus was hit multiple times and staggered as he tried to stand up. Megatron walked up to Prime and pointed his claw-like cannon at him. After snarling something at him, Megatron shot Optimus at point blank.

"Optimus!" I screamed as the Autobot leader flew through the air. He narrowly missed me and the log when he landed. The impact to the ground made the earth shake.

The Autobot leader got to his hands and knees. He spit out some metal, which reminded me of a bloody tooth. Optimus was panting hard. I noticed that a lot of metal was blown off his chest and some from his face.

"Optimus," I whispered. "Please get up."

The three Decepticons walked up to Optimus. Megatron was grinning fiercely.

"Really, Prime?" Megatron purred. "Are you really going sacrifice your life to protect this little organism?"

"Yes," Prime growled. I never heard him growl like that before. He was almost scary. "I won't let you take her."

"Is the future of our race not worth a single human life?" Megatron asked mildly.

"You'll never stop at one," Optimus said. I could see pure determination and anger in his magnificent blue eyes. His hands clenched into fists as he roared, "I'll take you ALL on!" Plasma blades came out from both of Prime's arms as he turned and faced the Decepticons.

Optimus Prime, he was so amazing. He was so strong Even when he was clearly outmatched, he fought valiantly. He beat down all three Decepticons as best as he could.

The fight was getting too close to me now, so I shrank away to a safer distance. I continued to watch Optimus is pure astonishment. A small smile slowly formed on my face as Optimus karate chopped Starscream's arm off. He then swung the severed limp into the face of the stunned Seeker. Starscream grabbed his arm and backed away in defeat.

Prime then turned and faced Megatron, who was about to blast him with his cannon. Optimus quickly shot at Megatron first with his own guns. The impacts made the Decepticon leader fly back and crash onto several trees.

All that was left was Grinder. The tall Decepticon's hand transformed into a mini propeller. Optimus easily chopped Grinder's arm off with his orange blades. The black mech growled and tried to kick Prime, who dodged and snuck behind the helicopter. With a few quick slashes of his blades, Prime severed Grinder's helicopter blades. The Decepticon shrieked in pain and whirled around then lunged at Optimus. The Autobot leader quickly kicked Grinder back.

As he stumbled back, Optimus quickly climbed onto Grinder's back. His orange blades were replaces by glowing orange hooks, which hooked onto Grinder's face. Optimus let out a little growl as he tore Grinder's face apart. The only sound that came out of the Decepticon was a loud wail before his head was torn into pieces.

"Piece of tin," Optimus grumbled as he jumped off the dead helicopter. I thought we were alone as Optimus staggered closer towards me. He looked around. "Clare, where are you?" he called out a little frantically.

I was about to call back to him but froze. To my horror, Megatron was suddenly behind Optimus. I opened my mouth to scream for Optimus to look behind but no sound came out.

Megatron grabbed onto Prime's shoulder. Before Optimus has a chance to look behind him, a claw burst through his chest. Not just his chest, his spark chamber. Optimus, who was completely taken by surprise, yelled out in pain. He frantically grabbed onto the claw that was through his chest as Megatron lifted him up. I could hear the scraping metal as Optimus was lifted higher. Red magma like liquid dripped down from the devastating wound. It looked painful.

Megatron had a demoniac smirk on his face as he growled, "You're so weak."

His claw glowed a little before blasting completely through Optimus. Pieces of metal and the red liquid sprayed everywhere as his chest was blown apart. Megatron quickly pulled his arm and cannon out of Prime. The Autobot leader froze, shock written all over his face. My mind went blank. My heart tore to pieces. My soul shattered. I felt numb. Cold. Empty.

The blue and red mech fell to the ground, causing the Earth to shake again. Without thinking, I slowly went up to the Autobot, who made no attempt in getting back up. He looked at me and whispered, "Clare. Run. Ruu........" He left the last word hanging. His glorious blue eyes dimmed, then completely went off.

It felt as if time has stopped. Everything went silent and still. Only Megatron moved. He threw his arms up triumphantly and roared something, but I couldn't hear it. I just waited for Optimus to wake up. 'He's just asleep,' I thought. 'He's messing with me. Just playing a joke." I continued to wait and stare. I went closer to him. The mech didn't move. Nor did he speak.

"The last Prime is dead!" Megatron roared again. The word echoed in my mind. Just hearing it made me break. I fell to my knees. The only thing I heard was a deafening scream. My scream. I fell against Prime's face, crying out hysterically. I yelled his name over and over. I called to him, to come back. I begged for him to come back. My wet cheeks pressed against his cold dead ones.

"No! It's not fair! It shouldn't be this way! It's not supposed to be this way!" I screamed. "Why! WHY!"

A low chuckle came from above me. I looked up, tears still streaming down from my eyes. Megatron was standing over me. He was staring at me with amusement in his eyes.

"There, there my little pet," he said gently. "I won't leave you like Prime did." He knelt down and grinned at me. "Now you're all mine," he whispered dangerously. "You and your power are mine." Power. I suddenly got an idea. Megatron seemed to have read my mind again because he said, "That won't work. Have you forgotten?"

I didn't listen. I prayed for it to work as I placed my hand onto Prime. I tried to make the energy built up but none did. Instead, I got a burning pain in my arm which made me gasp. I quickly pulled away and looked at my arm. Megatron let out another dark chuckle. I placed my hand back on Optimus' cheek and tried again, trying to ignore the pain. Still nothing. I began to get desperate and frantic, trying to let out energy. Any amount of it. Still nothing.

"Try all you want, my pet," Megatron purred. The amusement was back in his voice. "You're only hurting yourself in the process."

I was sobbing again at my futile attempt. All the hope was gone from my broken soul. All that happiness and relief from earlier disappeared too. I felt...beyond empty. Gone. Slowly, my body sank down until I was on sitting on the ground.

"There's no need to mourn," Megatron said seductively. He reached out towards me. I made no attempt at moving. I just stared blankly at the dead mech in front of me.

Suddenly, I heard someone shout my name. It was a little faint but I knew who it was. I slowly turned to see Jazz and the Autobots come my way. He, Ironhide, Ratchet, and Sideswipe were in robot mode. They were shooting at Megatron and Starscream. Bumblebee and the twins were in their car modes, speeding up towards me.

Megatron growled angrily and shot at the Autobots. His aim was off and he missed nearly every shot he made. He was slightly injured and tired from the battle with Optimus. Starscream quickly joined in and shot at the Autobots too. His aim was much more worse since he was trying to hold his severed arm and shoot at the same time.

While the Decepticons were distracted, I got up and backed away. My eyes were still on the dead mech. I reached out towards him as I continued to back away, still crying.

"I'm sorry Optimus," I sobbed. "I'm so sorry."

"Clare!" Ironhide roared.

"I don't want to leave you like this."

"Clare, please!" Ratchet called out.

"Clare, hurry up!" Jazz yelled again.

"Clare!" Bumblebee's yelled.

I closed my eyes and ran towards the Autobots. I had to fight the urge to look back at Optimus. It hurt to leave him. It just...didn't feel right.

Bumblebee came at me at full speed then swerved. He narrowly missed hitting me. The front passenger door opened and I jumped in.

**Bumblebee POV**

Clare quickly climbed into me and shut my door. I drove away at full speed. Skids and Mudflap were right behind me, along with the others who just transformed. I was relieved to see Megatron and Starscream retreat instead of follow us. But then again, Megatron never really did follow us ever. He always called a retreat.

My hologram looked at Clare. All the relief was replaced by more worries. Clare looked.....dead. My beloved friend.

My comm. buzzed suddenly.

"_Bumblebee, it's Ratchet. What's Clare's condition?_" the Medic asked. I merely stared at Clare, who was rocking back and forth slightly. I didn't know what to tell Ratchet.

"_I think you should see for yourself. I just can't describe it_," I said.

"_Well, what is she doing?_"

"_She's just rocking. Back and forth._"

Ratchet sighed. "_Fine. Where should we regroup?_" he asked after a moment.

"_The factory?_" I suggested.

"_Fine. We'll meet you there._" Ratchet ended his transmission.

The factory was far, but it's the only safe place. For now.

**Megatron POV**

I have never felt so excited before. It felt so good when I killed Prime. I wish I could have done it again. The way I crushed his spark was amazing. The anguished sound he made aroused me. I suddenly felt like playing with my pet. Sadly, though, I had to retreat.

Starscream and I managed to escape the Autobots just in time. We left with not too much damage. Well, I did anyway. Starscream, the weak fool the he was, got his servo broken off. I couldn't help myself when I laughed at the sight.

We flow to the nearest Earth city and landed on a building called a skyscraper.

"That went well," I said to myself as I landed. Starscream tumbled when he landed. I ignored him. "Killing Prime was much easier than I thought. Now, I need the girl again."

"Uh, we lost the girl sire," Starscream muttered. "Her location I mean."

Anger flashed in my spark as I roared, "WHAT!"

"She got away. The Autobots managed to save her, as you should already know. And they're shielding their signals too," the Seeker irritably.

I glared at my second for a long moment. Without hesitation, I snatched his severed arm out of his hand.

"I can't even rely on you," I smacked Starscream with his servo and continued, "to retrieve once little insect."

"Yes, but it was your fault!" the Seeker shot back. "If you weren't so busy having intercourse with the child, we would have found the energon source by now! You're as disgusting as there humans."

I grabbed Starscream and threw him down. I stomped my foot onto his chassis. Starscream was take by surprise and shrieked.

"Please my lord. I'm sorry. I take it back!" Starscream whimpered. "Have mercy!"

"Shut up!" I growled and kicked the pathetic mech to the side.

"The girl," Starscream gasped. "She could be anywhere." A low growl escaped from my vocals as I ground my foot onto the Seeker's chest plates. "C..can't you locate her my lord?" he stammered. "A..after all, you're bound to her."

I threw the severed arm down to it's owner, and stepped off of Starscream.

"I can't. Something is blocking me from locating her." I snarled. "But I can somewhat contact her. The bond between us has weakened because I kept on using it to mess with the girl's weak mind."

"Well, who's fault was that?" Starscream muttered. I glared down at the Seeker who flinched away slightly.

"Fine then. I will force her to come back to me. I don't need the bond to do so. She was nobody else," I growled. "This planet does not know of out existence and that is going to change. Every organism on this planet will witness the Fallen's arrival."

"No more hiding my lord?" Starscream asked as he reattached his servo.

"No MERCY!" I roared. "Decepticons! Begin out assault!"


	16. Falling Apart

_Chapter 16! Finally up and ready for reading! Oh my god. School is finally over and I needed a break from it. Hopefully, now I can actually update sooner. I made this chapter extra long for you guys. So enjoy and keep making reviews!_

_Happy Reading/ writing!_

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Bumblebee POV**

It has been three Earth hours and we still haven't arrived at the factory. Thankfully, we were close. I was tired from driving back and forth for long distances. We all were.

Caitlin asked if I could stop somewhere so the humans can eat. I parked inside the Flips parking lot. Clare and I used to come here all the time last summer, just to hang out. But, I felt as if those days were over.

I glanced at Clare. She looked dead. I was afraid to talk to her. Afraid to touch her. I noticed that Caitlin was staring at her too. She also looked very worried. She put a strained smile on her face and said to Clare, "Hey, come on. Let's get something to eat."

Clare didn't respond. She didn't move or say anything. She just sat there, with her head bowed down and hugging herself. Caitlin reached out and touched Clare's shoulder. Clare shrieked and pulled away. Her arms went up defensively. Caitlin froze and stared at her friend.

"Ok," she said softly. "I'll just bring you something then." Caitlin turned to the frowning boy next to her. He was looking at his electrical devise called iPhone. "You," Caitlin said. "Come on. Let's get something to eat."

"Eat?" the boy said, panicked. "How can I eat? I'm a hostage! I'm being kept here by this alien robot thing!" Caitlin angrily rolled her eyes as the boy continued his ranting. My hologram glared at him as he began to blame Clare. "This is all _her _fault," he said and pointed at Clare. "Because of her, I'm captured. The aliens and her are allies! She knows about my site and now the aliens want me for making it!"

"Oh my god! You are so full of shit!," Caitlin snapped, finally. "They were after Clare, not you!"

"How do _you_ know!" he yelled back.

"Because she has been attacked before, quite a few times!" Caitlin was angry. It was clear. "The Decepticons were clearly not interested in your ass. Get a life!"

Caitlin got out of me with a huff. The boy angrily followed. It probably wouldn't be a good idea to leave those two alone.

I gave Clare a rueful look. She wasn't going anywhere, that's for sure. But it felt wrong to just leave her. My real self can't really do much to comfort her without scaring her. I reached out to touch her but pulled my hologram's hand back. That wouldn't be a good idea.

"I'll be right back, ok?" I said finally. Again, Clare didn't respond. My hologram climbed out and went inside the fast food restaurant. The humans were already inside, along with the twins' holograms.

When I entered, the humans, to my irritation, were still arguing. I decided to ignore it. For now, it wasn't anything serious. Mudflap and Skids were muttering irritably to each other too.

"Man, that human is a real prick," Skids grumbled.

"Yeah, I know," Mudflap said back. "He won't shut the hell up. The whiney little bitch that he is."

I shook my hologram head tiredly. Hearing everyone bicker was very agitating. Thankfully though, the humans stopped. They were too busy deciding on what to eat. The twins and I stood to the side and waited.

"Thank Primus, they stopped," I breathed.

"You can say that again," The twins said in unison.

Suddenly my comm. buzzed and I answered. It was Ratchet again.

"_Bumblebee, we've arrived at the factory. Where are you?_"

"_Sorry_," I said ruefully. "_The humans needed to eat._"

"_What about Clare?_" Ratchet asked. "_Is she eating? Is she responding? Is she doing anything?_"

I sighed. "_No. Not yet anyway,_" I said softly.

"_Slag it,_" he growled. "_Poor child. I don't know how long she'll last._"

"_What do you mean?_" I asked. No answer. "_Ratchet? Are you there?_"

"_Yes I'm here. Bumblebee, get Clare over here. I need to examine her and you need to see something._" His transmission ended before I could answer. He sounded distraught. I wondered what Ratchet wanted me to see. But my thought was interrupted when something cold wrapped around my hologram's waist.

"Please don't leave me," a weak voice whimpered. I slowly turned around and faced my precious friend.

Clare shook a little as she pressed herself against me. She was still avoiding to look up at me, but at least she was willing to talk and to even touch me. I couldn't help myself when I wrapped my arms around her. She jumped but didn't pull away or let go. Clare wasn't crying, but her shoulders shook as if she was. She clung onto my hologram's shirt as I held her small trembling frame.

"No Clare," I whispered. "I won't leave you. Ever."

"That's what he said," she whimpered as she began to panic. "That's what he said!" Clare was getting hysterical, so I gently led her outside towards my real form.

As I leaned her against my alternative mode, the girl began to hyperventilate. I didn't understand who "he" was. It wasn't Megatron, that's for sure.

Clare's hyperventilating got worse so I quickly pulled her back into my arms. The human girl buried her face into my hologram's chest and breathed into me. Her breathing calmed back down, but she herself didn't.

"Optimus always said that he will never leave but he always did!" she screamed. "He left me so many times and now he's dead! He's fucking dead! My Optimus Prime is gone and I couldn't bring him back!" Clare begin to sob.

My processor went blank. I tried to block the image of Prime's limp frame out of my mind. I tried to deny it, but no. It really happened. Even from the distance, I saw me beloved leader fall. We all did. Optimus was such a good friend to all of us and an amazing leader. We lost him and now we're losing Clare.

This creature in front of me is having a mental break down. She has always come out strong in the end. Always fought her personal battles against trauma and became to victor. But now, I'm not sure if she'll make it. Whatever happened to her for the past 2 weeks has severely damaged her. Poor child indeed.

I just watched Clare sob. Then, without thinking, I slowly slid my hands up and held her cheeks. I gently pressed my lips onto hers. Clare gasped in fear, but I held onto her as she jumped. Her skin was cold but I didn't care. I just wanted to comfort my dear friend.

To my surprise, Clare didn't pull away. She grabbed onto my hologram's shirt again and tried to press herself against me. I gently held her and deepened the kiss.

I have seen Clare and Optimus kiss each other lovingly many times. It never bothered me. Frankly, I always thought that Clare and Optimus were perfect for each other. But I did wonder how it felt to be kissed on the mouth. I always felt happy whenever Clare would give me a little kiss on the cheek or forehead while I did the same to her. The kisses were always friendly and always full of love and kindness. But now, I felt a deep depression in her kiss. It bothered me.

Clare inhaled deeply from her nose and slowly pulled away. She stared up at me for a second then dropped her gaze. She leaned against my hologram and closed her eyes. I let out a sigh before carefully picking her up and setting her down onto my passenger seat.

Caitlin, the human boy, and the twins all came out then. Caitlin looked annoyed, as did the twins. The human boy looked horrified as he was staring at his iPhone again.

"Holy shit," he breathed. "They're looking for us."

"What?" I asked.

"Just ignore him," Caitlin spat. "He's just trying to freak us out."

"No! I'm serious. Look!" Caitlin looked at the iPhone. Her eyes widened.

"Oh geez," she whispered. I didn't like her tone or her expression. This was probably what Ratchet wanted me to see.

"Come on," I said. "We need to get to the factory. Now."

Without looking back, my hologram climbed into my real self. The twins did the same. Caitlin hurriedly climbed into me too but turned back to the boy.

"Hey! Come on," she called out.

"Hell no! I'm not going with you guys!" he yelled back.

"They're looking for you too," Caitlin said. "They know that you were with us. If they find you, they will kill you."

The boy froze. How irritating. I had no time for this. I decided to just leave without him. But before I was able to move, the boy came running up to me.

"Hey! Open up!" he yelled.

I reluctantly let him in and drove off to the factory. It wasn't a long drive because I broke the speeding laws trying to get there. To irritate me even more, Mudflap and Skids kept on swerving around behind me. I had to keep chiding them to stop. They were, as Clare had once called them, immature.

Finally, we made it to the factory. We had to out run a few Earth police to do so, though. I led the twins to the back of the factory. The door opened before my hologram went out to punch the code in. The others must know that we've arrived.

We went in silently. The humans got out, but not Clare. Caitlin had to drag her out of me so I could transform.

"Are you all ok?" Ironhide came up to us and asked.

"Well most of us are," Skids said.

"This little pussy keeps havin' a panic attack," Mudflap said and pointed to the boy.

"I have the right," the boy retorted.

"Hey! Shut up," Mudflap shot back.

"Oh and Clare has been havin' mental break downs," Skids quickly added.

"Yeah, she's been freaking out a lot. She won't let us touch her. She won't even look at us," Caitlin said as she backed away from Clare.

"Wow, what happened to her?" Sideswipe asked as he smoothly rolled in. Ratchet was right behind him and he quickly went up to Clare. The frightened girl shrank away behind my leg.

"No," she whimpered. "I don't want them near me."

"Clare it's ok," Ironhide mumbled gently. "You know us. We won't hurt you."

I knelt down beside Clare, who still tried to hide behind me.

"Maybe if we use our holograms, she'll be less intimidated," Ratchet suggested.

"Good idea," Ironhide muttered then transformed. The rest of us followed his lead.

Clare was still nervous and clung on to my hologram when it got out of me. Ratchet's hologram slowly walked up to us. He spoke to Clare softly so he wouldn't startle her.

"Clare," he said. "There is nothing to be afraid of. I'm just going to take a look at you."

When Clare didn't respond, I gently pushed her towards Ratchet. She tried to back away but I had a firm grip on her. This seemed to panic her and she jerked away from me. Ironhide's hologram immediately came over and restrained her himself. Even in hologram form, Ironhide was larger than I was, so he could hold onto her better. I stayed next to Clare and tried to comfort her by talking and caressing her short hair.

She calmed down enough to stop moving around but she was still staring at Ratchet. She was still terrified, even from us. Ironhide began to grumble words to her softly. He looked worried. Ironhide really liked Clare, despite his coldness towards her at times. He has said in the past that he admires her strength and bravery.

"Let me take a look at your arms," Ratchet said. Clare reluctantly held out each arm. They were covered in bruises. She flinched whenever Ratchet touched her. The medic frowned as he examined her arms then her neck. Clare whimpered a little when Ratchet touched her neck.

"It's alright child," he said, trying to reassure her. By his tone, though, it wasn't ok. He was concerned. Slag. "Ironhide, keep a hold on her while I take her shirt off."

"No!" Clare yelled. "No! I won't! I won't!"

She began to struggle again. Ironhide held onto Clare and continued to talk to her. I did the same but she didn't calm down. She panicked even more as Ratchet lifted her shirt up. Clare's body was no better than her arms. It was black and blue with red blotches everywhere.

Ratchet shook his head and pulled her shirt back down. He took a step back and rubbed his forehead tiredly.

"Let her go Ironhide," he said darkly. Ironhide released the girl, who immediately clung back onto my hologram. She was shaking again.

"What's wrong Ratchet?" Ironhide asked.

"Her energon flow has stopped completely," Ratchet said.

"You can tell by just looking at her?" Sideswipe asked as his hologram stepped closer.

The medic nodded gravely. "It's obvious really. Her injuries haven't healed and are still not healing."

"At all?" I asked.

"Well, not as fast as she normally heals. Actually, her body is healing at a rate that is much slower than of a regular human. Even without the energon she'd be healing normally. But there is so much trauma and continuous damage done to her. It just slows everything down," Ratchet said darkly and glances at Clare. "Then there's her mental issues. I don't know what happened but whatever it was, it damaged her greatly."

"Was it Prime's death?" I asked softly.

Every Autobot in the room froze and went silent.

"I still can't believe it," Ironhide said angrily. "He can't be offline. He...he's Optimus! Our leader!"

"What I don't understand is how Megatron came back," Ratchet said darkly.

"Yeah," Jazz said as his hologram walked up to us, his real form following close by. "We all saw Prime kill him with our own optics. Am I right?"

"Where were you?" I asked our lieutenant.

"Looking at the news," he said and our communications screen came on. The screen was sectored off into four individual screens. Each section had something different on it.

One screen showed a very large military vessel sinking into an ocean. It was heavily damaged. What horrified me was that this was done by the Decepticons. I could see them crawling out from the craters in the vessel. They must have crashed into it while using their traveling pods. Watching the humans on that vessel dying angered me. Those despicable Decepticons. How could they?

I jerked my optics to the second screen, which was just as bad. A woman was speaking. She was talking about multiple bombings around the world. She was also explaining that there were many objects entering Earth's atmosphere. Slag it. There were more Decepticons. They're coming to Earth and crashing into major cities all at once.

The third screen showed a man talking about hiding the US President from harm. I was somewhat relieved that this government was taking some sort of action, until the man mentioned something about retrieving a girl. Then a familiar voice, coming from the fourth screen, drowned out the humans from the other three screens. It was Megatron talking.

"Pitiful organisms of Earth," he snarled. "You are not alone in this universe. I assure you that my kind does exist and are now inhabiting your planet."

I glanced down at Clare, who was staring up at the screen. Her eyes were filled with terror and she began to shake once again. I held her close and continued to listen to Megatron speak.

"We are ready to destroy your pitiful Earth at this very moment. Many of us have already entered Earth's atmosphere and have already done great damage to your cities. We will continue to our assault till there is nothing left on this planet...or until you give us this child..." All four screens became one again and began to show files on Clare. School files and records. Pictures, videos, then finally her driver's licence. "Hand over this girl and we might spare this planet."

A quick clip closed in on Clare, Caitlin, and the boy at Flips. The human boy began to panic, again.

"Holy crap! They have an image of me! FBI, CIA! They're looking for us. We're dead. We are so dead!" he yelled. The boy ran up to Clare and grabbed her. She let out a shriek as he shook her. "We're dead, do you hear! And I'm not even with you guys. You dragged me here! This is all _your_ fault!"

I snatched Clare back and glared at the boy. Ironhide's hologram angrily pushed him away from us.

"Do NOT touch her," he growled dangerously.

"She's the reason why they're after us. Just let them take her in!"

"YO! Lay off!" Mudflap snapped. "Quit takin' about Clare like that!"

"Yeah, it ain't her fault! So back off, ya pussy!" Skids roared. The boy took a frightened step back. At least he realized that bad mouthing Clare in front of us was wrong.

"You're wrong..," Clare whimpered into my shirt. "Leo's right. It's my fault. All my fault. If I wasn't so weak...none of this would have happened. Optimus would still be alive...but he'd never take me back."

I stared at Clare incredulously. Why in the name of spark did she think she was weak? And why did she think that Optimus would ever leave her? I realized that Ironhide was glaring at her. There was so much fury in his hologram's eyes. He was about to say something but Caitlin cut in.

"No, it's my fault. I should have told Bumblebee about Clare's condition when he first called."

"Wait. You knew?" Jazz asked darkly.

"And you did nothing about it!" Ironhide roared. Tears slowly drifted down from Caitlin's eyes.

"I didn't know what to do. She...she scared me and I didn't want to anger her. I tried to convince myself that she'll get better but she only got worse."

"Fragging humans," Ironhide growled under his breath.

Ratchet sighed heavily then said to me, "Back to your question. I don't think it was only Prime's death. But it could have set her mind to close down."

Everyone went silent. The screen was the only thing making any sound. It kept on repeating the news clips, and Megatron, over and over again. I guess Jazz must have recorded them.

"These clips," I began. "Were these what you wanted to show me, Ratchet?"

"Yes. It is clearly not safe for anyone of us right now. Especially Clare," the medic said darkly.

"And?" I asked.

Ratchet, Ironhide, and Sideswipe all glanced at each other.

"Bumblebee, we need you to take care of Clare," Ironhide said.

"I can do that. I've been doing it for more than a year," I said a little impatiently. I was getting rather irritated. There was more that they weren't telling me. They were hesitating.

Ratchet shook his head tiredly and said, "I know, but you will not have our support. We have to leave."

"Leave?" I asked incredulously

"Yes. Lennox needs us back at the NEST base," Sideswipe said dryly.

"No. You can't leave. Not now!" I said. "We need you. No. Clare needs you! All of you! She needs every single one of us with her!"

"I know Bumblebee, but.." I cut Ratchet off.

"No! You don't know! She only has us now. Leaving her made her like this in the first place! Leaving Clare again...," I couldn't finish. I was so furious. I've never felt this angry before. Ever.

Jazz's hologram walked up to mine and put a comforting hand on my shoulder.

"Calm down," he said softly. "I won't leave."

"Neither will we," Skids said loudly while Mudflap nodded.

"You can't stay," Ratchet said angrily. "They want us all to go back."

The four of us glared at Ratchet, who glared back. None of us was going to back down without a fight.

"Fine," Sideswipe said quickly. "Ratchet, Ironhide, and I will go back to the base. Just keep Clare safe, alright?"

"Of course we will," Jazz said. I still wasn't fully convinced.

"Can't you stay until tomorrow? So we can made a plan." I said.

"A plan?" Ironhide asked back.

"Yeah. We can't just stay here. We don't even know what's going on."

I glanced down at Clare. She didn't look scared anymore. She reverted back into her...dead looking state. No progress.

"She knows something, but I highly doubt that she'll talk," I muttered.

"Give her time," Jazz said gently.

"We don't have time," Ironhide growled. Ironhide's hologram stalked up to mine. He grabbed Clare and whirled her around to face him. "Clare, what is Megatron planning? What do you know?" Ironhide asked aggressively.

Clare gasped in fear and began to try to pull away. He just made her panic again. Slag.

"Ironhide," Ratchet said angrily. "Stop it."

"No," the weapon specialist snapped. "I will not sit around and watch her cower like a weak little punk. She's better than this and she knows it!" Ironhide dragged Clare away from the rest of us and pushed her against his vehicle self. "What's wrong with you? Why are you acting like this?" he snarled at her terrified face. "What happened to all of your spirit? Your life? Your strength?"

We all stared at Ironhide's hologram as he yelled at the frightened girl. He has never yelled at Clare before. None of us had. But then again, I have never seen Ironhide so angry before. I didn't understand why he was so angry at her.

"You never called yourself weak before. Not even when Megatron first assaulted you. We never thought of you being weak, so why do you assume we do now? You were _never _weak. Not until now. You're weak now, Clare! And do you know why? It's because you've given up!"

"Ironhide! I said stop it!" Ratchet yelled. Ironhide ignored him and went on.

"You cry about how Optimus will never take you back. Well, you're right about one thing. He won't. You want to know why?"

I was completely surprised to see Clare stare up at Ironhide. She wasn't crying, but there was still some fear in her eyes. Other then that...she almost looked...the same.

"I'll tell you why!" Ironhide continued. "It's because you're not fighting anymore. Again, you've given up! You understand, Clare? We have all fought for you, especially Optimus. He fought the most for you. He fought to keep _you _alive until _he _died. And you can't even do the same for him!" Clare dropped her eyes and looked as if she was going to cry again. "Yes, cry. Go cry like the little coward you are. You don't deserve Optimus. You're just a selfish ungrateful little brat!"

Ratchet's hologram angrily shoved Ironhide's away from Clare. To my surprise, Ironhide moved without protest. Clare stood very still and stared down onto the ground. Jazz pulled Clare against his hologram self and glared at Ironhide.

"You've said enough," he growled and led the girl away. I followed Jazz and gave Ironhide a wary look. His hologram was slowly shaking his head. His expression made my spark wrench. He looked so...hurt.

"I'm so disappointed," I heard him whisper. "I thought you were better than this. What happened to you?"

Jazz continued to lead Clare away while I followed. Our vehicle selves also followed. I was somewhat relieved to see that noone else attempted to come after us, especially the twins or the other humans.

Jazz gently pushed Clare down so she could sit on his vehicle mode. I stared her face and realized that she looked different. Her expression was blank but her eyes were filled with...determination. I didn't know if I should consider that good or bad.

Jazz's hologram pulled my hologram away from Clare and lead me a few yards away.

"Bumblebee," Jazz began, "I really have no idea what to do. Prime's dead, Clare's breaking, Megatron's back, and Decepticons are attacking this planet. Now everyone here is falling apart." He shook his head hopelessly. Our Lieutenant really couldn't think of anything to do. "You'd think that after being in this civil war for so long you'll get used to all this. I guess not," he said a little bitterly. "It just happened so fast. Too much in a few hours."

"I know what you mean," I said gravely. "I'm just shocked that Ironhide just yelled at Clare like that."

"You're probably gonna hate me for saying this but, he was right," Jazz said quietly.

I stared at him then said, "But he didn't have to chew the poor girl out about it."

"What he said was right. How he said it wasn't and you're right about that."

Jazz glanced at Clare, who wasn't moving a muscle.

"It really does seem like she's given up," he said after a while. "What can we do to bring her back? I mean, we can't just leave her like this. She's one of us, you know what I'm saying?"

"Yeah," I said tiredly. "Let's just let the girl rest for tonight. She's been through a lot and needs to calm down."

My Lieutenant nodded in agreement, then we both went back to Clare. She was absently tracing her finger around Jazz's hood. I could faintly see little symbols drawn into the dirt that was on Jazz. I didn't know what they mean, so I assumed that they were just doodles.

Jazz went up to Clare and gently pulled her into a hug. We were both slightly stunned to see her not panic. She flinched a little, yes, but it was nothing too major. My hologram sat next to her. She didn't make any startled movements at all. She just sat there and allowed Jazz to hug her.

"Clare, please get better," I whispered. "We need you as much as you need us."

Jazz smiled gently and said, "He's right. We do need you."

Clare still didn't look at us nor did she speak. She did, however, lean against my hologram then closed her eyes. Relief washed through my spark as Clare calmly fell asleep. Jazz smiled again and gently caressed her cheek.

"We're here for you, baby girl," he said softly.

I carefully lifted the resting girl and brought her to my real form. Jazz watched as I laid her down on my back seats. She slept deeply and calmly. The girl looked so peaceful.


	17. The Plan

_Chapter 17 is up and ready for reading! I hope this chapter doesn't seem to drag on for you guys. I promise the next one will be a little more exciting. So please enjoy, and review as always!_

_Happy reading/writing!  
_

**

* * *

Clare POV**

_I was in a dark room, laying in a bed. I felt so warm and so...content. It's been so long since I've felt like that. _

"_Come back," a deep voice growled. "Come back to me."_

_The voice wrapped around me. It had control over me. It made me get out of the comfortable bed and walk into the dark abyss._

"_Yes, come to me, my little pet," the voice said again. "Let me find you."_

_As I continued to walk, the deep velvet voice got closer. I could hear the seduction in the voice. I could hear lust. Suddenly, a tall silver mech appeared before me. My eyes slowly looked up at the grotesque face. All the warmth and comfort left my body. Fear began to choke me as did the cold. I began to tremble from both. _

_Megatron knelt down, allowing me to see the twisted grin on his face. He held his hand out towards me. _

"_Yes, come closer," he __purred_.

_I slowly reached out to him. His voice was commanding, and held no argument. He wanted me to come to him. He was still desperate to claim me as his. I knew that his lust was beyond anything he has ever felt. I knew his hunger was dangerous and it might never be fully satisfied. I knew the dangers of being with him. No matter how much he loved or hated me, this mech will always harm me. And yet, here I am; allowing myself to reach out to him. Was I also desperate for him? I was, after all, alone. I needed him. Besides, I just couldn't resist the urge to touch my lord. _

"_Clare," I heard a familiar voice call out. It was a deep gentle voice that made me melt inside. I just loved how Optimus said my name. "Clare," he said again._

_My body stopped moving. I was frozen with my arm out towards Megatron, who was making no attempt at grabbing me. My fingers barely touched his talons._

"_Clare!" someone else called. Bumblebee. _

_No. I was wrong. I wasn't alone._

"_Clare!" Ironhide roared._

_I wasn't alone. I had my friends. No. My family. I had my Autobot family!_

_"Clare, please!" Ratchet called out._

_I pulled my hand back, and stepped away from Megatron._

_"Clare, hurry up!" Jazz yelled._

_I quickly turned around and ran. I ran so fast and hard. I needed to find my family!_

_Suddenly, everything went silent. I stopped running and tried to listen for any sound. Then I heard Ironhide's angry voice. _

"_We have all fought for you, especially Optimus. He fought the most for you," his voice echoed in my mind and ears. "He fought to keep _you_ alive until _he_ died. And you can't even do the same for him!...I'm so disappointed." Hearing him say that again made me realize how hurt he sounded. He wasn't angry. He was hurt and disappointed. I let him down. He was right. He was so damn right! _

_I have to keep fighting. _

I woke up abruptly. My breathing was a little shallow but I managed to regain my ability to breath normally. My body was still aching, as did my head. I felt slightly dazed. When I sat up, I realized that I was in Bumblebee's vehicle mode.

"Oh Bee," I whispered. "You've done so much for me...I'm sorry."

Bumblebee's hologram suddenly appeared in the driver's seat. He turned to look at me.

"Clare?" he asked a little nervously. A smile slowly formed on his face as he continued to stare at me. "You're ok!" he said happily.

"Well," I said a little darkly. "I'm much better than yesterday, that's for sure. But I'm not ok."

I slowly got out of the yellow Camero. Bee's hologram followed. My legs shook while I tried to stand. Bumblebee caught me before I collapsed. I felt so damn weak.

"You should rest," he said.

"No. I should figure out what's going on," I muttered. My stomach suddenly growled painfully, which made the hologram jump.

"I take that back. You should eat. Caitlin got you extra food yesterday when Ironhide took her and the boy out to eat," Bee said.

"Ironhide? But she was with us yesterday," I said.

"No, that was the day before. You were asleep all of yesterday."

Knowing that I was asleep for a whole day, startled me. I wondered if the Decepticons assaulted any more cities. The thought made me sick.

"Easy," my guardian said. He gently leaned me against his vehicle self. "I'll get you some food."

As he walked off, I sat down. I noticed the Ratchet and the twins were here. If Ratchet was here, that meant Sideswipe and Ironhide would be here too, except I didn't see either of them or Jazz. Bumblebee came back with a McDonald's bag and gave it to me. It was cold and fast food never tasted good when it's cold. But, my stomach was desperate for food so I ate without complaint.

"Just to let you know, Jazz, Ironhide, and Sideswipe are out on patrol. They'll be back in a little bit. You didn't wake up yesterday, so they all got worried and decided to stay another day," Bee said as his hologram sat down next to me.

"Why are they on patrol?" I asked.

"We thought we found a few Decepticon signals near our location and wanted to investigate. We had to shut everything down so they wouldn't find us, though," I became quiet, even after I finished the meal. "Clare, please don't be angry at Ironhide. He feels really bad for yelling at you like that."

I was about to say something but someone else cut me off.

"_Find the Matrix."_

I closed my eyes and clenched my hair as my head began to hurt immensely.

"_Find it!"_

"_Use the knowledge."_

The familiar cryptic symbols blinded me. The knowledge, the symbols are the knowledge. I understood!

"_Use it!"_

"_He's coming!"_

"_The Fallen is coming!"_

"I get it now," I whispered. "I understand what I need to do." I opened my eyes and looked up at multiple faces peering down at me. They all looked concerned, but I didn't care at the moment. I finally understood what I had to do. I stood up abruptly but fell right back down.

"Whoa there," Skids said as his hologram helped me back up. "You ok?"

"I know what to do!" I said a little frantically. "I know what I'm supposed to do!"

"And what's that?" Ratchet asked.

"The Matrix. I need to find it," I said.

"What's the Matrix" Bumblebee asked.

"And how are you gonna to find it?" Mudflap asked.

"With your help," I said then forced myself to run. I heard the others follow me in their vehicle modes, which was what I wanted. I needed them to translate the symbols.

I passed Caitlin and Leo, who must have just woken up.

"Clare?" Caitlin asked. I didn't answer her, and just kept on running until I reached outside.

The summer sun blinded me for a second. I nearly forgot how bright natural light can be. It was very hot outside and there was no breeze to make up for it. How disgusting.

"Wait Clare, what are you doing?" Ratchet asked as he and the others transformed into their robot modes. I felt a little uncomfortable being surrounded by four large robots, but I was able to ignore it.

"I'm showing you what I know," I said darkly. I found a stick and began to scribble each and every symbol I saw into the hard dirt. I realized that the Autobots were staring down at me in total confusion.

"I think her processor is malfunctioning," Mudflap muttered to Skids, who was nodding in agreement.

"I'm not crazy!" I snapped. Everyone around me jumped. Even Leo and Caitlin. I glared at them all then continued to draw the symbols. Each was different in shape and there were so many of them. When I finally drew them all, I looked up at the 'bots. "Well?" I asked. "Can you read these?"

"Read?" Skids asked

"No. We don't really do much reading. Not so much," Mudflap added rather quickly. Ratchet knelt down and took a closer look at the symbols.

"It has a resemblance to our language but I can't understand it," he said. "Are you sure that this is how it's written?"

"Yes! This is how it's written. I know it!" I said, slightly irritated. "These descriptions. These symbols. They are all in my head. And they have been for more than two weeks!"

Ratchet just stared at me. He looked concerned and didn't seem to believe me. Noone looked like they believed me which was frustrating.

"You think I'm making this up!" I said incredulously.

"Well, you have been acting pretty weird. So it kinda makes sense that you're going crazy after all you've been through," Caitlin said dryly.

My eyes narrowed down to her. The familiar rage began to build up again. My blood boiled with hate as I glared at each and everyone of my so-called friends.

"I can't believe this," I said darkly. "Right when I'm back to normal, you all think I'm insane."

"But, you're not normal," Bumblebee said nervously. "You're not...the same"

"Well, I'm sorry that I'm not as cheerful as I used to be," I snapped.

"Hey! Just because you're angry at Ironhide doesn't mean you have to take it out on us!" Caitlin snapped back.

I froze and stared at them. The rage disappeared. "What are you talking about?" I asked. "I'm not angry at Ironhide." Again, everyone stared at me, unconvinced. "I'm not angry at any of you."

Bumblebee knelt down to my level and looked at me. "Then who are you angry at, Clare?" He asked gently.

"Noone," Ratchet said darkly. "It's her bond with Megatron. It's making her feel angry, much like Megatron's probably feeling now. Remember how Optimus told us about her mood swings?"

"Ohhhhh," the twins said together. Caitlin merely stared at me, somewhat fearfully.

"So, she's like Megatron?" she asked.

"No!" Bee snapped. "She's nothing like him!"

"I'm just asking," Caitlin said as she shrunk away.

"The only thing I can tell you to do, Clare, is to stay calm," Ratchet said. "There is no way to remove the bond, so you have to learn to live with it."

"Easier said, then done," I said darkly.

Suddenly, I heard multiple honks from the distance. I turned and saw Jazz, Sideswipe, and Ironhide coming up towards us. The dream came to mind when I saw them. I suddenly felt somewhat warm and content when I thought about how the Autobots called to me. My family.

"They're back!" Caitlin said happily and ran to greet them. Everyone else followed except Bumblebee and Leo. My guardian reached out and gently rubbed my head with his finger.

"You know," he began sweetly. "I never got the chance to say, I like your haircut."

I stared at the yellow mech. A smile slowly began to spread across my face. I missed him so much. I quickly went up to Bee and hugged him. I realized that we were surrounded by the other Autobots and people. They all stared at me with baffled expressions but I ignored them.

"Oh Bee, I love you so much," I said. "You're the best friend and guardian a girl can ask for."

"You really mean that?" Bee asked as he held me closer.

"Of course I do," I whispered, then kissed his warm chest. Bumblebee cheerfully hugged me again and set me down onto the ground.

"I see nothing wrong with her," Sideswipe said thoughtfully.

"You have no idea," Ratchet muttered.

"She's probably just fakin' it," Mudflap said.

"Yeah. The little bitch is crazy," Skids added.

Bumblebee stood up abruptly and charged at the twins. Mudflap and Skids didn't react in time as my guardian grabbed them both and held them up into the air. The twins began yell out at Bumblebee. They were clearly startled.

"Ahh! Bumblebee! Quit it!"

"Wait! What are you gonna do!"

Bumblebee glared at them both then smashed them into each other. He then threw the twins away without any difficulty.

"Now that's just rude," I heard Skids mutter.

It was a little funny to watch until I saw the angry look in Bee. He was furious.

"Bumblebee," Jazz chided.

"No! She's not faking it! She's not crazy!" Bumblebee yelled angrily.

"It's all good, Bee," I said softly. "If they don't to help, it's fine. It'll be just you and me then."

"Hey, come on now," Jazz said. "We do want to help."

I ignored him and asked Bee, "Do you know anyone who _can _read the symbols?" Sadly, the yellow mech shook his head.

Ironhide sighed and stalked up to us. He knelt down and looked at the symbols closely. I stared at his face, trying to read any expression. There was none.

"I can tell you this, Clare is not brainsick," Ironhide said finally. "These symbols are Cybertronian but they're more like a code then the actual language. Looks like they're even older than I am. I'm sorry, but I can't translate them."

Leo stepped up to me and nudged my arm. "Can I say something?" he asked nervously. Before I was able to open my mouth, the twins staggered up to us.

"Depends," Mudflap sneered. "Are you gonna whine like a pussy?"

"Shut up," I snapped. "What is it Leo?"

"Well, I think I've seen these on the internet. I'm pretty sure that Robowarrior knows what these are." I stared at Leo for a moment. 'Should I really trust a computer geek?' I thought to myself. I've got nothing to lose, so I might as well do it.

"Now, how are we supposed to find Robowarrior?" I asked him.

"He puts his address on a his site. I used to send letters to him about him stealing stuff from my site."

"Fine, you're coming with me and Bumblebee then," I said and turned to Bumblebee. "Since everything's shut down here, let's go to my house and find the address on the internet."

"Wait, you're letting _him _go and not us?" Caitlin asked angrily.

"He's the only one willing to help" I said.

"Clare wait," Ratchet said.

"Why should I wait for you, when you can't even listen to me!" I snapped. "I need to know what Megatron's planning. I need to know what the Matrix is. I need to know what these damn symbols mean and why only _I_ can see them!"

Everyone went silent. The Autobots looked down somewhat guiltily. I had no time for this. The more I wait, the more people will get hurt. Before I climbed into Bumblebee, who had just transformed, Jazz walked up to me.

"Clare, I care about you too much to let you go alone," He said seriously.

"But I'm not alone," I said quietly. "I've got Bumblebee with me. And Leo."

"You're still not going," Jazz said, then smirked. "At least, not without me." The silver Pontiac knelt down and gently rubbed my head.

"We're coming too!" The twins said together.

"Hold it!" I said. "Jazz can come along but who the hell said you two can? I haven't forgiven you two for calling me a little crazy bitch."

The twins hunched over, gloomily and both said in unison, "We're sorry, Clare."

I shook my head tiredly. "Fine, fine. You two can come, along with Caitlin."

Caitlin stared at me then asked, "Really?" I nodded and gave her a faint smile. Caitlin squealed happily and hugged me. I tensed a little. For some reason, I didn't feel comfortable by her touch. Caitlin must have sensed this because she pulled away and said, "Sorry."

"Are you sure you want to do this Clare?" Sideswipe asked.

"Yes. Besides, you guys won't be doing anything. You'll just be at your NEST Base," I said with a bitter hint to it.

"Clare, you know that we have to go back," Ratchet said tiredly.

"'Have to' my ass," I muttered. My heart began to ache at the thought of them going away. "I know I'll have the twins, Bumblebee, and Jazz with me but...I need you guys too."

Jazz picked me up and held me. "We know, Baby Girl. But, they really do have to go back to tell the others about what happened. Maybe they'll even get the others to help. I know you like Lennox and Epps. They'd be glad to help you."

"Say you can't find out anything about the symbols or the Matrix, what then?" Ratchet asked.

"Then, I'll just turn myself in to Megatron," I said darkly. Every single pair of eyes stared at me. The Autobots looked shocked, which was understandable I guess. "There's really nothing else for me to do."

"No!" Ironhide roared which made me jump. "You can't do that. I won't allow you to!"

Bumblebee turned on his radio and said, "We've got to stick together!"

"He's right Clare," Caitlin said. "We can keep in contact with you guys, right Ironhide?"

"No we can't," I said immediately. "Soundwave would track us."

"Yes. That's why we've been blocking all of our connections with each other and NEST," Ironhide added.

"Who's Soundwave?" Caitlin asked.

"He's Megatron's Communications Officer, who connected himself to a satellite up near Earth," I said quickly. Once again, I was given baffled expressions by everyone.

"And you know this, how?" Jazz asked as he put me down.

"I was able to see a few things in Megatron's mind. Nothing that will help us with the symbols or Matrix though." My voice came out hollow and precise. Almost robotic.

"Ok then," Jazz said.

"You are really beginning to frighten me, Clare," Ratchet said darkly.

"I'm beginning to scare myself," I muttered.

"Alright, we're seriously wasting time here folks," Sideswipe said irritably. "Can someone please tell me what the plan is exactly?"

"First, ALL of us are going to Clare's home," Jazz started. "When She's done with her business, we're going to split up into two groups."

"Clare's group, in which consists: the three humans, Jazz, Bumblebee, and the twins," Ratchet added. "Then Ironhide's group, which will have the rest of us."

"We're going back to NEST base while Clare's group go to...wherever it is you're going," Ironhide finished, then looked at me directly. "Clare, you need to keep a low profile. Everyone's looking for you and we want you to be safe." He turns to Leo and Caitlin. "Same thing goes for you two. Understand?" Leo and Caitlin both nodded. "Good."

With that said, all the Autobots transformed into their vehicle forms. Jazz's hologram quickly came out of his real self and hugged me.

"We're always here for you, Clare," he said softly.

"I know, Jazz. Thank you," I said back. I gently pulled away and gave the hologram a little kiss on his cheek before going back to Bumblebee.

When I went back to my yellow Camero, I saw Caitlin pulling at one of Bee's doors.

"Come on, Bumblebee! Let me in!" she whined. I shook my head angrily and walked up to them. Caitlin moved aside and glared at me. "He won't let me or this guy in!" she yelled and pointed to Leo.

"His name is Leo, Caitlin," I said in a very dry tone. I opened Bumblebee's passenger door without difficulty. I noticed Caitlin staring at me in disbelief then glared at Bee.

"Oh, so you can let her in but not me?" she said angrily.

"I am Clare's guardian, Caitlin," he said calmly. "I'm supposed to protect and comfort her. Right now, I think you and the boy, Leo, should go with the twins."

Caitlin angrily kicked one of Bee's tires. I don't know why, but the anger inside of me exploded and I snapped.

"HEY!" I roared and roughly shoved Caitlin back. "Do NOT kick Bumblebee!"

"Clare, it's fine. She didn't hurt me," Bee said gently.

"No! It's not fine!" I yelled. Without thinking, I grabbed Caitlin's unbroken wrist and squeezed. "If you touch my guardian again, I will break more than just your wrist. Got it?"

"Clare. That is enough!" Ironhide snapped.

I didn't bother arguing with Ironhide. I knew it was too late for me to apologize for what just I said. This anger inside of me was too much. I was hurting others because of it. I glanced at Caitlin and saw horror in her eyes. I turned away and climbed into Bumblebee then closed the door. My guardian's hologram appeared next to me, in the driver's seat. He was staring at me.

"You're eyes are red," he said darkly.

"I'm not surprised anymore," I muttered.

"Please Clare, try," he pleaded.

"Try what?"

"Try to calm down. Try not to snap at everyone. Try not to beat yourself down."

I stayed quiet and merely stared out the window at the other Autobots. I heard Bumblebee's engine roar to life. Everyone sped out of the factory. Caitlin and Leo were in the twins. Jazz was cruising right next to Bee and I. Ratchet decided to lead the way, while Ironhide and Sideswipe fell to the rear.

"Clare," Bumblebee sighed after a while. "We need to talk."

"We _are_ talking," I retorted stubbornly.

"No. Not now. I mean later. Just you, me, and Jazz."

"Why Jazz?"

"Because he's seriously worried about you. We all are. I would ask Ironhide and Ratchet too, but they both need to leave."

"Beside, Ironhide hates me."

"Ironhide does not hate you. He's just upset with you, as you've witnessed."

I noticed that Bumblebee sounded different. His tone of voice has changed. He really sounded more mature. For some reason, I found comfort in that. It's good to know that he knows when to act mature and when to goof around..

After a long pause, I sighed. "Alright, we'll talk. But after we know where we're going. Deal?"

"Deal," Bee said, then after a moment, he added, "But, please, do try."

I let out another, more heavier, sigh. He was right.

"Alright, Bumblebee," I said softly. "I'll try."


	18. Home Sweet Home

_Alright, Chapter is up and ready to be read. This chapter also gets a little dark so be prepared. I hope you all enjoy this chapter._

_Happy reading/writing! :D  
_

* * *

It has been an hour and we still haven't reached my neighborhood yet. The Autobots were driving at a painfully slow speed and I didn't understand why. The pace was very aggravating..

"Why are we going so slowly?" I finally asked.

"Not sure," Bee said. "Maybe since there were Decepticons in the area, Ratchet thought we should be cautious."

"Oh. Did Ironhide and the others find any Decepticons while they were out patrolling?"

"I assumed not since we're out and about," Bumblebee said a little dryly.

"Oh...right. Sorry."

"Don't be."

It took us a little less than an hour until we finally at my street. My house was all the way down the very long street. I got a little worried about what my family's reaction will be. Damn. I did not want them to see me right now, or ever.

"We'll come in with you, if you want," Bumblebee offered.

"Just you, Jazz, Ironhide, and Ratchet. Oh and Leo too," I said.

"Even Ironhide? And that boy?" he asked.

"I need _all_ of my old Autobot friends with me. And I need Leo to find the address of Robowarrior."

Bumblebee's hologram stared at me for a second. After a quick moment of silence Bee said, "I told them. Skids told me that Caitlin was pretty angry that you don't want her to come in."

"I'm just done with Caitlin right now," I muttered.

"Clare, she's your friend," Bee chided.

"Friends sometimes get sick of each other," I said darkly.

"Do you get sick of me?" Bee asked. His question hit home at my heart and I didn't answer. After a pause, Bee asked, "Clare, why are you trying to push us away?" I could hear slight anger in his voice. Not the best thing to hear from Bumblebee.

I was about to say something but stopped. Even Bumblebee's hologram froze while his real form slowed down even more. What I saw shocked and disturbed me. Houses and roads were demolished by craters. Small fires were scattered here and there, flickering to stay alive. Rubble and shattered trees were all over along with a few bodies. Human bodies. 'Oh god,' I thought, panicked. My neighborhood was completely destroyed.

All the Autobots were slowly creeping through the streets. They were clearly avoiding the rocks, craters, and the...bodies.

"Stop," I said quickly. "Let me out."

"Clare, there might be Decepticons still out there. We can't risk your life," Bee said darkly.

"Let me out!" I yelled. Suddenly, energy began to build up in my arm. My right arm, which was touching Bumblebee's door, released the energy. I really didn't mean to do that but Bee's door flew open.

I jumped out and ran towards my house. I heard Bumblebee yell out my name, as did the others. I ignored them. My mind was blank and numb. I dodged around the few dead bodies, praying that none of them belonged to my mom or sister.

"Mom! Anna!" I shouted. Everything was quiet. Dead quiet. I could only hear my shouts and my beating heart. "Anyone!" The whole place look deserted, almost like a ghost town.

Finally, I arrived at my house. I stopped dead in front of it. Half of the building was nothing but rubble. Small fires where all over my front lawn, and, from where I could see, my back yard. But something that really disturbed me was the small pile of bodies that were a few feet away from me. Animal bodies. The grass under the pile was blood red.

"Clare!" Ironhide called out. He and the others caught up to me in their robot forms.

"Oh slag," Skids breathed.

"This place is a dump," Mudflap muttered.

"Hush!" Ratchet snapped.

Bumblebee walked up to me and gently touched my shoulder.

"He killed them," I whispered. "He destroyed my entire neighborhood and killed my family!"

"Who?" Jazz asked.

"Who else! Megatron!" I yelled. "He attacked my family! Ge did the lowest thing possible!"

"Although bringing your family into this was a low move, they aren't dead," Sideswipe said. I turned to look at the tall silver chevrolet.

"How do you know?" I asked, trying my very best not to take my anger out on him.

Sideswipe pointed back to my house. I looked and saw many symbols carved perfectly into the side of my house.

"I can't read that," I said. "What does it say?"

Sideswipe went closer and read the message out loud, "_Give me the girl and I will allow her family to leave with their lives_."

"He's made them into his war hostages," Ratchet said angrily. "Innocent humans."

"No," I growled. "This isn't just about the war. He made it personal." I looked back at the intact side of the house. "My room looks fine from down here. Maybe I can still get in."

Bumblebee placed my suitcase, which he was holding, on the ground then lifted me up to my balcony. I quickly climbed over the railing and called out, "Alright. Bring Leo up." I saw Bee kneel down towards Leo, who nervously backed away. "It's alright, Leo," I said. "Bumblebee's gently." Leo slowly climbed onto Bee's extended hand and the yellow mech gingerly lifted him up. Leo carefully stepped down and onto the balcony. I noticed that he was shaking a little. I sighed and put my hand on his shoulder to calm him down.

To my dismay, when I tried to open my window door, I realized that it was locked from the inside. Damn. After letting out an irritated groan, I turned back to Bumblebee.

"Will you do the honors?" I asked and pointed at the window.

My yellow guardian cocked his head slightly then transformed into his vehicle mode. Jazz, Ironhide, and Ratchet followed. A second later, Leo and I were surrounded my four holograms. The college boy jumped then shook his head angrily.

"These things are gonna give me a heart attack. I swear," he muttered.

"You'll get used to it," I muttered back.

Bee's hologram stalked up to the window, and, with one swift kick, shattered it. Ironhide went in first, then Leo, Ratchet, and Jazz followed. I was about to go in too but Bumblebee stopped me.

"There's glass everywhere," he said.

"I can see that," I said dryly.

Without warning, Bumblebee picked me up bridal style. I was a bit startles by being held so suddenly. At first I wanted to push away, but didn't. Instead, I snuggled closer into my guardian's embrace.

Bee silently stepped into my room, trying his best to avoid large pieces of glass. I felt the hologram stiffen suddenly. I looked up and felt my heart sink. My room was ripped apart. My clothes, my bed, and sheets were all torn to bits and scattered everywhere. My plushie panda, which I named Walter, was lying on floor. The white parts on him were stained red. My table was smashed. My books and papers were thrown everywhere, ripped and torn. Red was smeared all across the walls and ceiling. I could even spell out some words.

"_Come back, my little pet. Come be my whore again_," Jazz read out loud, clearly disturbed by the message. I shuddered. Hearing those words was one thing but thinking about the cheerful tone Megatron used to say it was even more disturbing.

Suddenly, I had a flashback.

_Decepticons coming down...crashing into the neighborhood...yes, kill. Kill all those pathetic organisms!_

_Her home...here is her home. The family is here too! How wonderful! _

_The Decepticons destroyed the area...the second in command takes the girl's family...they are terrified...good. _

_The silver mech stops his minions from destroying the house...he sends them away...his hologram slaughters the pets...the animals...stupid organisms...goes into her room...smears the blood around the room...grinning...enjoying himself._

_His rage takes over...he tears the room apart...piece by piece...where is she? WHERE IS MY PET!...he holds the toy in his bloody hands...stares at it...I will find her._

The flashback ended with me making a loud scream. The holograms and Leo all jerked their attention towards me.

"Blood," I panted. "It's all written in blood!" My body shook as the cold came back to my skin. The fear came back as well and I began to cry.

"Clare, please don't cry," Bee pleaded and held me closer.

"Get her out of here. Now!" Jazz yelled.

I felt Bumblebee jump then quickly walked out of the room, with me still in his arms. The others followed us into the hall. It took me a few minutes to calm down. During that time, Jazz was cussing angrily.

"Slag it all!" Jazz growled. "This is taking it way too far! Killing innocent humans and organisms. Kidnaping them."

"Calm down, Jazz," Ironhide said. "You're not helping the situation."

"I know," Jazz said almost hopelessly. "But..," he looked at me. "What are we going to do now?"

"We continues on with our plan," I said darkly.

"Clare...," Jazz began.

"I need to know what this all means," I said. I pulled away from Bee, who gently put me down. "Leo, come with me. The rest of you stay here."

Leo hurriedly followed me as I walked towards my sister's room. He grabbed my arm and whispered, "Is this really happening?"

I sighed, then said, "Yes. Sadly, it is."

Leo and I entered my sisters room. To my surprise, it was still somewhat intact. Some pieces from the ceiling were on the floor, but the computer looked like it was still working. I pointed to it and asked, "Can you search for Robowarrior's address?"

"Yeah, no problem," Leo said as he sat down in front of the computer. I grabbed a paper and a pen and placed it next to Leo.

"Write it down, ok?"

"Alright."

While he was searching, I absently left the room. I felt as if something had control over my body. The cold feeling came back to me once again. I began to shiver with fear.

"_Clare, come to me_," his voice whispered in my head. That deep velvet voice was filled with lust again. Megatron felt so close. As if he was right behind me, with his lips against my ear. No, he wasn't behind me. He was inside of me.

Without thinking, I ran to the demolished bathroom. Everything was smashed and scattered. I went down on my hands and knees, trying to search for something, anything. Finally, my eyes fell upon a broken razor. The blades were still intact, so I grabbed it and got to my feet.

I glanced at the reflection of myself in the cracked mirror. My eyes were red, like Megatron. I could almost see Megatron himself right there in the mirror! My eyes drifted down to my right arm. My mind went completely blank as I watched myself place the blade onto my wrist then pulled it up my forearm. My arm went dumb as the line began to fill with blood that trickled down my arm.

"Get out of my head," I growled as I made another slash down my arm. Then another. I quickly became more and more frantic when the cuts began to close up. "Leave me alone!" I yelled. Blood covered my arm, hands, and clothes. There was a small pool of it forming on the floor. But I didn't care. I continued to cut my arm, hoping, wishing that I was hurting Megatron in the process.

"CLARE!" someone roared. "What the frag are you doing!" Ironhide's hologram ran up to me and grabbed the hand that was holding the bloody razor. He glared at me as he ripped the razor from my hand. "What are you doing!" he yelled again.

Without warning, he slapped me right across the face and shook me. I stared at him. I was stunned at what he just did. My bloody hand went to my stinging cheek and I began to sob. He hit me. Ironhide hit me.

"What are you doing?" he asked once again. Except, this time, Ironhide sounded scared, which was odd. Ironhide's never scared.

The hologram pulled me against him. I could feel his arms shake against my body. He fell to his knees and dragged me down with him.

"I need to get him out," I whimpered desperately. My arm was throbbing despite the healing cuts.

Ironhide quickly pulled me away. His hands, which were covered in my blood, held my cheeks. He forced me to look at his blue angry eyes. But I saw fear in them too. I wanted to pull away. I didn't want to look into his bitter eyes anymore, but his grip was unyielding.

"What is wrong with you?" Ironhide growled lowly. "You can't just hurt yourself like that!"

"You don't understand!" I yelled. "You don't know how it feel to have him inside you!"

"No," Ironhide whispered. "I don't know how it feels. You're right about that but..." He shakes his head. "You can't do that to yourself." I could hear his voice straining from mixed emotions. "Please, never scare me like that again."

I looked down at my arm. All the cuts had healed but the blood was still there. My arm was still throbbing and shaking uncontrollably. I couldn't believe I did that. I began to cry at my near suicidal attempt. This was just too much for me.

Ironhide gently pulled me onto his lap and held me. He began to mumble words to me. I didn't understand them but somehow, I began to relax against him. The hologram held my head against his chest. His low voice was smooth and calming my sobs down to whimpers.

"Shhhh," he said, trying to hush my whimpers. "I'm here for you, Clare."

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," I whispered over and over. Ironhide merely held me closer and continued to hush me down.

"Clare? Ironhide?" I heard Ratchet call out. I looked up as his hologram stepped into the bathroom doorway and froze. He stared at the blood all over me and Ironhide's hologram. Ratchet's face immediately hardened and looked angry. "What happened?" he asked in a low tone. "We all heard you two yell."

"I'll tell you later. Now, can you clean Clare up?" Ironhide asked quickly. Ratchet stared at us for a bit longer before he sighed and nodded his head.

The weapon specialist's hologram gently helped me to my feet. Ratchet opened the surprisingly intact faucet. I didn't like having both holograms so close to me and I didn't like them both touching me even more. Ratchet began to clean the blood off my arm, hands, and face. Ironhide continued to talk to me in Cybertronian. I obviously couldn't understand what he was saying but his deep soothing mumbles began relax me yet again.

I could see Ratchet's angry gaze on me. I tried my best to avoid it by staring at the counter top. When he was finally done cleaning the blood off of me he took a step back. Ironhide, however, leaned closer, and gave me a gently kiss on my cheek. The cheek he hit to be precise. His beard poked my skin as he kissed me. The feeling was so...familiar.

I suddenly remember who else felt like that. My dad. He used to keep a short but prickly beard now and then. I never really liked it when I was younger because whenever he hugged or kissed me, his beard always poked me. I didn't know why I thought of that then at that very moment.

"You should go and change your clothes, Clare," Ratchet said softly, bringing me back to the present. I could hear some anger in his voice though.

I nodded in agreement. Wearing bloody clothes isn't the best thing to do. Ironhide let me go and I quickly walked towards my sister's room.

**Ironhide POV**

I was beginning to really fear for the child's life. I could not believe that she would do such a thing. Seeing her hurt herself was...disturbing. I have heard and seen many others, humans and Cybertronians, committing such things before. And yet, I was severely troubled by Clare doing it.

I know that I have many big regrets in my long life but hitting that little human femme was one of my greatest regrets. The look on her visage just crushed me. It made me feel like I've done something wrong while trying to protect her. I sighed then turned to Ratchet's hologram, who was furious. No surprise there.

"What happened?" Ratchet asked darkly.

"Clare was slicing her servo up," I said gravely.

"What? Why?"

I merely shrugged then stated, "She thinks that hurting herself will hurt Megatron."

"Stupid," Ratchet muttered. "I can't let her go. I'm telling Bumblebee to bring Clare and the others back with us."

"No," I said.

"What?" Ratchet asked, slightly stunned by my retort.

"No," I said more firmly. "She needs to do this. Not just for us, but for herself."

"But her condition...," I cut Ratchet off.

"Bumblebee and Jazz will be able to help her," I said. "Remember how she was before when Megatron first assaulted her. She just needs to talk and not keep it all in."

"She only talked to Prime though," Ratchet said.

"Yes, but Bumblebee and Jazz are both good enough for her. She loves them both and they love her as well," I said.

Ratchet sighed heavily before asking, "Do you really think it's safe for her to go?"

"No. To be honest I don't. She'll pull through. Clare always pulls through. She just needs support."

"I just hope she gets better," the medic said tiredly. "And I hope that she finds what she's looking for."

"Clare will," I said with a smile.

"How do you know?"

"Because I believe in her."

**Clare POV**

The second I entered my sister's room, Leo exited. He stared at the blood in horror. He opened his mouth to say something but I immediately cut him off.

"Don't ask," I said sharply. "Did you get the address?"

"Yeah," Leo said nervously. He was still eyeing the blood on my clothes.

"Good, give me the address and go wait with the others," I said. The college student gave me the piece of paper with the address on it then ran past me down towards my room. I shook my head tiredly then went into my sister's room and shut the door. I quickly stripped my clothes off and threw them onto the floor. Anger was boiling in me again. 'I tries to kill myself again,' I thought angrily. 'I can't believe it. Just because of a stupid bond, I tried to kill myself.'

"_Fight_," a voice growled in my head. "_Fight for your life._"

Hearing that one voice was enough to bring me back. It fueled me with determination and I was ready to get on with my mission.

I wasted no time in putting clothes on. Since all of my clothes were ruined, I threw on Anna's clothes: a t-shirt, a black sweater jacket, and jeans. To my relief I managed to find gloves too. The energy in my right arm felt a little unstable and I didn't want to hurt anyone by accident. I also found black sunglasses that could hide my eyes. After putting on my favorite laced boots that my sister owned but never wore, I grabbed Anna's cell phone and left the room.

I quickly walked back to my room. Leo and the holograms were standing right outside the door. All looked either worried or disturbed.

"Let's go," I said to them then walked into my room. I tried my best to ignore the bloody words on the walls and stalked to the window door. By the time Leo and I stepped out onto the balcony, the holograms already disapeared. Bumblebee transformed and brought Leo and I down, then transformed back into his car mode.

Before I climbed into Bee, I turned back to my house and stared at it. It felt a little wrong to just leave it like that.

"Clare?" Jazz called out. "You alright, Baby girl?"

"Before we split up, can you guys do something for me?" I asked.

I told the Autobots to destroy what was left of my house. Sideswipe was about to ask me why but Ironhide stopped him, saying that I had my reasons. They all transformed into their robot modes and pointed their weapons at my house. I could see them all hesitate, especially my older friends. They must remember the good times we all had at this place. I did too, but the house had to go. After a brief pause from the Autobots, they blasted the remaining parts of the house until it was nothing but small pieces of rubble.

After all that was done, the Autobots transformed back into their vehicle modes. I climbed into Bumblebee as Caitlin and Leo climbed into the twins. We split up into our designated groups without saying another word to one another. I gave Bee's hologram the address Leo wrote down.

"It's not too far," Bee said. "If we make little or no stops, we'll get there in about two days."

"Fine," I murmured and pulled out my sister's cell phone. I wanted to say something to Ironhide before we split up. It was important and I felt guilty for not saying it before. I flipped the cell phone open and began to text my message to him. It was probably a stupid thing to do since I knew that Soundwave could track us, but I did it anyway.

After texting my message, I sent it: "Thank you Ironhide. For being there."

A moment later, Ironhide's message back was a smiley face.


	19. Have a Little Faith

_Chapter 19! WOOO! I can tell you right now that this story might be a bit longer than the first one. I really am trying my best in updating but my computer is having some problems here and there. I'm sorry if I'm getting too slow for you guys. Here a longer chapter to make it up. Enjoy and continue making reviews!_

_Happy reading and writing!  
_

* * *

After only a few hours of driving, I got hungry. But I didn't want to say anything about it. We were in the city and I didn't want to stop in the middle of it. I might draw attention to myself.

Surprisingly, there was no traffic. How odd. It was summer time and we were in the middle of a city. There should be cars around, even parked cars. But today, there were none. It was deserted, like my neighborhood.

I saw Jazz, who was in the lead, suddenly fall back. From the rear view mirror, I noticed that the twins were goofing off. The morons. I felt sorry for Jazz and Bumblebee. They had to play babysitter for the irritating twins.

We finally left the city and entered a suburb a mile away from it. I've never gone past the city. For some reason, I began to slightly panic from being in a new area. It was nerve racking and I didn't feel comfortable. Bee must have noticed my discomfort because he placed a hand on my shoulder.

"It's ok, Clare," he said softly.

"Says you," I muttered.

"What did I tell you before?" Bee asked in a stern tone. "I told you to try. Try."

I sighed heavily. He was right...again.

"You're right. I'm sorry," I said quietly.

After a while, I began to absently scratch at my arm. My right arm to be exact. It wasn't itchy or anything but I had a strong urge to just claw at it and not stop.

"Stop that!" Bumblebee snapped angrily. I jumped and abruptly stopped scratching. He never yelled at me like that before. It scared me. I didn't want to make others angry, and yet I've been doing that this whole time.

I looked down at my arm. There were red lines going up and down my arm. They weren't cuts, thankfully, but they still stung. I quickly pulled my sleeve down and risked a glance at Bee's hologram. He didn't look angry, which was surprising. He did look scared...like Ironhide did.

"Please don't do that, Clare," he said after a while. "Ironhide told us all about what happened." He stopped. His voice was shaky as if he was about to cry. It hurt to hear Bee sound like that. "Why would you do such a thing?" he whispered the dreaded question.

I closed my eyes and pushed my head back onto the seat's headrest.

"I don't know," I said.

"I don't believe you," he retorted back, immediately. "There _had_ to be a reason."

"Yes," I said. "I thought it would relieve some of the guilt. I thought I deserved to be punished. I thought that by hurting myself, I was hurting Megatron. I was hoping for it. Praying. I wanted to hurt him so badly. I wanted him to know what he's done to me. I wanted him to suffer. Suffer like no other!" The last few sentences came out as growls.

Bumblebee went silent for a moment then said, "You're not like him. You will never be like Megatron." my heart skipped a beat. Optimus said that too. Thinking about Optimus made me tear up.

"_Do not be sad, child_," a familiar voice in my head said.

"_You are not like him_," another voice added. "_You are better than him. Remember that_."

"No," I whispered out loud. "I will never be like him."

"Good," Bee said then pulled me into a quick hug.

We've been on the road for more than a day, and I haven't eaten or slept during it. Which was bad. I needed to eat and rest to keep going but, like an idiot, I did neither. I was getting so hungry that I felt like throwing up. Finally, I gave into the hunger.

"Please stop," I groaned. "I need to eat. Now."

Bumblebee swerved into the nearest parking lot which was, conveniently, a fast food joint. I unbuckled my seatbelt and dove back into the back seats. After a quick search, I found my wallet and climbed out of the yellow Camero. Jazz and the twins quickly parked next to Bee. The Autobot holograms stepped out of their respected vehicles as well as Caitlin and Leo.

"It's about time," Leo groaned. "I'm freaking starving."

"I'm know. Sorry," I said. "Come on. Let's go and stuff our faces."

The three of us humans quickly stretched out a little first, for we were all very stiff from the long drive. After quickly putting on my sister's shades, Caitlin, Leo and I walked into the building. The first thing I noticed when I walked in was that people were staring at me. From their expressions, they seemed to be hostile towards me. Great.

We all tried our best to ignore the people. Each of us ordered large meals, for we were all starving. Caitlin suggested we eat outside to avoid the glares from the other costumers, which Leo and I agreed to. We were clearly uncomfortable.

The three of us sat together on one of the little benches that were outside the fast food building. The Autobots and their holograms were right in front of us, standing guard. Leo happily shoved fries into his mouth while Caitlin and I munched on our sandwiches.

"Sorry guys," I said after I swallowed. "But you should have said something is you were hungry."

"You should talk," Caitlin said after she finished her sandwich. "You're _as _hungry as us. Maybe even more."

I sighed. "Point to you," I said softly then sipped at my coke.

Caitlin leaned closer to me and asked, "Are you in a better mood now?" Her tone was happy in a really fake way. In other words, she was still angry. Understandable...I guess.

"I think so. Do you agree?"

Caitlin smiled, for real and said, "Sure." I couldn't help but smile back a little. We were warming up to each other again which was very good.

"So, how's your wrist?" I asked.

"Oh, right," she said and looked at her wrist which, I noticed, had a different cast on. "Ratchet managed to fix it up a little more while you were asleep. He even put on a new cast. He also said that my wrist will get better in a couple of days, then I'll be able to take the cast off!"

My smile widened. "That's good."

But my smile suddenly faded when a police car drove into the parking lot. A few people came out of the building, the ones who were giving me odd looks. They were still staring at me, which was getting annoying. They went up to the cop and pointed at me, saying, "Her! They want her! Arrest that girl over there!"

"She's the reason why my neighborhood was destroyed!"

"Turn her in!"

The people all glared at me, as if I walked up to them and punched them in the face. They really thought that turning me in will stop Megatron. Oh how wrong there were.

"Oh god. They're after us!" Leo said as he began to panic.

"Calm down," I said, even though I was panicked too.

The Autobot holograms stood in front of us as the police officer walked up. He was pulling out a pair of handcuffs and gave me a very grave look. I stood up and pushed through the wall of holograms. I was not taking this bullshit.

"Sorry kid, but I've been given strict orders to arrest you and your friends," he said gently. "Now come over here and let me take you guys over to the police station, alright?" I merely glared at him. "Come on. I won't even put the handcuffs of you. I promise."

"Not going to happen!" Caitlin yelled angrily. "We're not going with you!"

"She's right," I said. "You're not arresting me or my friends. I have a job to do."

"Kid, I also have a job to do," the cop said.

"I'm not going to let you turn me in," I said firmly. There was actual strength in my voice despite me being scared.

"Can't you at least do it for your people?" he pleaded.

"Uh, no," I said in the same firm tone. "I'm doing _my_ job from my friends."

"Oh, just arrest her!" one of the people yelled out.

"Yeah! She's just being selfish!" another said and lunged at me.

I made a quick dash towards Bumblebee. He and the other holograms disapeared as Caitlin and Leo ran towards the twins. As I dove into my guardian, I heard the cop yell out along with the other people. I shut the door and realized that Bee's hologram reappeared in the driver's seat. The four Autobots wasted no time and sped off out of the parking lot.

We managed to leave the parking lot without hurting anyone or getting hurt ourselves. Us humans, were in an Autobot, so no one was left behind. I began to relax. But after a few minutes, I heard sirens. Dammit. The cop was chasing us!

"I'm gonna try to shake him off," Bee muttered.

"Do what you can," I said as I buckled myself in. "As long as you keep going towards our destination."

"Yes Ma'am," Bee said playfully and pressed the gas pedal.

The yellow Camero swerved around, trying to lose the cop. The twins and Jazz, behind us, attempted to block the cop car off. It worked, until more police cars came up. There were about four of them and they closing in fast.

"We're splitting up," Bee said to me after a while.

I stared at him in disbelief. I hated the idea of splitting up. I didn't want to lose anyone. I didn't want them to leave me.

"Don't worry. We will regroup," he said gently.

I nodded even though I really wasn't convinced. I stared at the side mirrors and watched the three Autobots behind us disappear one by one as they turned into another road. Without warning, I began to panic. My mind became flooded with images of Prime's death, Megatron assaulting me, and everything else that happened during the last two and a half weeks. I was alone during most of it and I hated being alone. I hated watched them leave.

Suddenly, Bee's hologram unbuckled my seatbelt and gently pulled me down until my head rested on his lap. He stroked my hair as he talked to me.

"Calm down, Clare. They will come back. I promise," he said softly. I slowly began to relax as he continued to caress my short hair. The radio turned on and played soft classical music. Hearing that and Bee's calm voice was soothing. I closed my eyes and lost myself into the music.

After a while, I noticed that the music had stopped and that Bee wasn't moving. Well, his real form wasn't moving. I opened my eyes and realized that I was laying on the back seats on top of Bee's hologram. He was holding me tightly. His eyes were closed so it looked like he was asleep.

"Well," I said, half to myself and half to Bumblebee. "At least we're hanging out nonstop."

The hologram opened his bright blue eyes and gravely said, "This isn't what I had in mind, though."

"Better than not being together at all," I murmured.

"True," he murmured back and pulled me down for a kiss. I got a little tense from the contact, but I didn't panic. I knew, deep inside that Bumblebee will never hurt me. My body relaxed at the thought and I kissed back.

Bumblebee's kiss wasn't like Optimus'. Prime's was gentle and loving. But sometimes it felt a little possessive, which I didn't mind. His kisses and touches always left me with wanting more and I knew he also wanted more. Bumblebee's, on the other hand, was friendly, childish and a little playful. It was comforting and gave the message, 'I'm here for you.'

The hologram gently broke the kiss by sitting up. In the process he pulled me up with him. I looked out the window and noticed that it was dark. 'How long was I asleep?' I thought to myself. Oh well.

We were near a couple of buildings that looked old and abandoned. The perfect hiding place for a fugitive. I also saw, to my great relief, the twins and Jazz parked nearby.

"See," Bumblebee said softly. "We're together again."

"Thank you," I whispered. Bee's hologram smiled and got out of his real self. He gently pulled me out as well.

"Come on. It's time for us to talk," he said. "You, me, and Jazz."

I froze.

"Now?" I squeaked.

"Yes. Now," Bumblebee said then his hologram disappeared. The yellow car transformed into his robot self, along with Jazz. I backed away nervously. I did not like how they towered over me.

Without warning, Bumblebee picked me up. I let out a shriek and grasped his large hand. My old fears seemed to be coming back...especially the one of heights. Great. Bee and Jazz began to walk away as the twins transformed.

"Hey! Where ya'll goin'?" Mudflap asked.

"Can we come?" Skids asked just a hair after Mudflap.

"No," Jazz said firmly. "You two stay here and watch the kids. The three of us need some privacy."

"Yeah. In other words, don't follow!" Bee added. I could hear the twins groaning in unison.

My guardian carried me to the other side of the abandoned buildings. Bee gently put me down then sat down himself. His curious blue eyes stared at me, which was nerve racking.

Suddenly, a loud blast was heard and it hit a few feet away from me. I jumped and let out a little shriek, but soon realized that it was Jazz making a little bonfire.

"Sorry," he said quickly. "You were shaking, so I thought you were cold."

Indeed, I was cold but no fire will help that. Instead of saying that out loud, I gave Jazz a weak little smile and thanked him. The silver Pontiac nodded then sat next to Bumblebee. Their glowing blue eyes were creepy enough in the dark, but add some fire light to them and they looked scary. Both bots stared quietly at me and I began to fidget.

"Well?" Jazz broke the silence, which made me jump again. "Aren't you going to tell us what happened?"

"No," I said immediately.

"Too bad. Tell us what went on at your camp," Jazz said. His tone was firm and commanding. That of a Lieutenant. He always spoke like that when commanding the other Autobots. Now he was using it on me.

"Clare, you have to talk," Bumblebee said gently. "It's now or never."

"I pick never," I muttered.

"No. Now," Jazz said in that same firm tone.

They were right. I had to talk. I had to get this out of my system. As Bumblebee said, it's now or never.

I squeezed my eyes shut and took in a shaky breath then asked, "What do you want to know?"

"Everything," Jazz and Bee said together.

With that said, I reluctantly told them everything that had happened at camp: my mood swings, me breaking Caitlin's wrist, the flashbacks, Alice, and, of course, Megatron. When I spoke about Megatron and what he did to me, my voice shook with anger and fear. I left nothing out. I spoke in full detail...as if it happened a few minutes ago. I told Bumblebee and Jazz everything he did to me, everything he said, everything he showed me. Slowly, I felt my throat beginning to close up from the fear, but I kept going. They needed to know what happened. They needed to know why I was like this.

It took probably an hour to tell them everything. I stopped talking when I got to when Optimus died because I began to tear up. Even with tear filled eyes, I looked up at the Autobots. Jazz and Bumblebee stared at me, clearly looking horrified.

"Primus," Bumblebee whispered. "You went through all that? In just a few weeks?" He reached out to me as if he wanted to pull me into a hug, but hesitated. He looked a little lost. "I'm so sorry. You've been through so much and we weren't there to protect you."

I sighed heavily.

"Clare," Jazz said softly. "I know this might not mean much to you, but you are an amazing human."

"Why do you say that?" I muttered while I wiped my tears away.

"Clare. You're still here, alive and with us. Ironhide and Optimus both had the right to have faith in you," Bee said happily.

"Optimus," I whispered.

"Prime would be so happy that you're fighting back. He'd be proud of you. Trust me," Jazz said as he rubbed my head gently.

"But, I ...I let Megatron...," I whimpered.

"He won't care. Optimus loved you and he would understand. He wasn't gonna blame you. None of us blames you for what happened and we never will," Jazz said.

The voices suddenly came back into my head.

"_Young woman from another world, be strong._"

"_Fight for your life._"

"_Fight for your friends._"

"_Fight for you family._"

"_Fight...for Optimus._"

"_You will never be alone. Always remember that._"

"_Now, be strong and fulfill your destiny!_"

At that moment, I felt as if peace has been brought to my soul. Those words from everyone helped me realize that this was all for my family and friends. And most importantly for Optimus. He loved me no matter what. I was his and he was mine. Mine. My Optimus Prime. I began to cry with relief and happiness. It was a great feeling. The feeling of not being alone.

"Aw man," Jazz muttered. "We made her cry again."

"No," I said with a smile. "You made me happy again."

Bumblebee jumped to his feet excitedly. He quickly, but gently, grabbed me and held me. I leaned against my guardian's cheek and closed my eyes.

Suddenly, a quick memory flashed in my head.

_The All Spark was gone. The Young Autobot managed to distract the Decepticon leader long enough to let the cube escape. The tall silver mech snarled and glared at the Autobot._

"_You will not speak a word of this," he growled. Megatron grabbed the Autobot by the throat and crushed it._

The flashback ended and I placed my hand onto my forehead.

"It was you," I whispered.

"What?" Bee asked.

"That was why you couldn't speak when I first met you. Megatron crushed your throat," I said. The yellow mech sighed and nodded. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. Not your fault."

"Alright!" Jazz said out loud in his usual cheerful tone. "If you two don't mind, I'm gonna go and recharge now."

"I think we all need some rest," Bee said with a little laugh. I nodded in agreement.

The three of us went back to the others. The twins were back in their vehicle modes. I didn't see Leo or Caitlin so I assumed they were asleep inside them. Jazz and Bumblebee both transformed into their vehicle modes and I climbed into my yellow Camero. I snuggles in the back seats with Bee's hologram

Before I fell asleep, I murmured, "Thank you for listening."

Bumblebee's hologram smiled and murmured back, "Thank you for talking. Good night."

**Ironhide POV**

Ratchet, Sideswipe, and I made it back to the NEST base. Jolt and the femmes came to greet us along with Lennox and Epps. They all had puzzled expressions upon their faces when they saw only us three.

"So?" Jolt asked as his optics roamed around the area. "Where are the others?"

"They are with Clare," Ratchet said.

"Oh. Even Optimus?" Arcee asked.

"No, Optimus isn't with them," I said gravely.

"He's not?" Flareup inquired, even more puzzled.

"Then where is he?" Chromia demanded. She was never a patient femme.

Ratchet shuttered his optics and shook his helm. I lowered my head mournfully. Sideswipe was the one who answered.

"Optimus is...offline," he said quickly. Everyone went silent. Well, everyone except Jolt. The blue mech, to my great annoyance, laughed abruptly.

"Ok. Good one," he said, still laughing. "Now seriously. Where's Prime?"

"He's OFFLINE you glitch!" I snapped. Jolt's grin faded immediately and his laughing stopped. He looked disturbed. The silence from everyone was haunting.

Suddenly, the sound of multiple blades beating filled my audio sensors. I looked up and saw a fairly large helicopter carrying a large object. My spark throbbed when I realized that it was Prime's frame.

"Optimus," I heard Flareup gasp.

"No," Chromia whispered next to me.

The helicopter dropped Optimus' frame right in front of us. I was infuriate by how the humans didn't give out fallen leader any dignity or respect. It disgusted me. We all stood around out leader and mourned.

Suddenly, many vehicles surrounded us. Their weapons were up and ready, aiming right at us Autobots.

"What is the meaning of this!" Sideswipe said angrily. If these humans think that pointing their weapons at me will be intimidating, they are mistaken. I got very irritated and pointed my cannons at the humans and their vehicles.

"You _dare_ point your weapons at _me_! You wanna piece of me!" I roared, furiously. "I will TEAR you apart!"

The others also were irritated and angered by the human's treachery and bared their weapons as well. Lennox ran up to one of the vehicles and yelled at the other humans to put their weapons down. The man named Galloway stalked out from the vehicle. Primus. Here we go.

"Not going to happen," Galloway growled. "We are taking these tin cans into custody."

"What?" the three femmes said in unison.

"You can't do that!" Epps yelled.

"I can and I will," Galloway snapped then turned to us. "The secret is out! Our people are dying because there is an alien blood feud on out soil." He stopped and looked at each of us. "Were are the rest?" Ratchet, Sideswipe, and I glanced at each other. "They're with that girl aren't they? The one Megatron's looking for."

"We need to protect her!" Sideswipe snapped.

"The longer you keep her a fugitive, the more people will die!" Galloway snapped back

"Wait. Are you saying that you're planning on handing the kid over to them!" Lennox asked incredulously.

"All choices are being looked at. This choice, however, seems to be the best," the man said darkly. "We will win this war. Giving that girl up will surely get Megatron to stop attacking us."

"This fool is terribly misinformed," Ratchet muttered to Sideswipe who nodded gravely.

"Pack these robots up and the dead one too. We're moving them out of here!" Galloway yelled and walked away.

I was furious, but I couldn't speak. I didn't know what to say. Ratchet seemed to notice and placed a hand on my servo.

"So that's it then!" Lennox yelled out angrily.

"NEST is over and you're just going to hunt down a little kid?" Epps said, clearly angered.

"Yes, we are going to find this girl one way or another," Galloway called out then climbed back into his vehicle.

I finally snapped. "NO!" I roared. "I won't let you!" I pointed my cannons at the vehicle Galloway was in. This caused some panic in the other humans who pointed their weapons back at us.

"Ironhide, stand down," Ratchet said gravely. He gently forced me to lower my cannons. "There's nothing we can do."

"They can't do this," I said. "They can't just...hunt her down like that. It's not right."

Sideswipe gently patted my shoulder, trying to comfort me. It did nothing of the sort. I let out a low growl as the human vehicles left us with our dead leader.

"Ironhide, we should leave this planet," Chromia said softly as she rested her small frame against my leg.

"No," I said firmly. "It is not what Optimus would have wanted."

"What about Clare?" Jolt asked. "They aren't really going to give her to Megatron. Are they?"

Hearing Jolt ask that saddened me. As much as I disliked his pranks and jokes, I had to remind myself that he still very young. I looked back at Optimus.

My friend. My best friend was dead before my optics. I still had to keep reminding myself that this was a war and in war, these things happen. And yet, my spark still ached from every loss.

"Do not worry," Ratchet said softly to Jolt. "Clare...she will be alright. Right Ironhide?"

"Yes," I said softly. "She will be just fine and she will do her duty. I know she will"

Jolt smiled somewhat cheerfully, which made me feel a little content. We mustn't fight amongst ourselves. We had to stick together, as Bumblebee stated before. We have to keep our hopes up and have a little faith.


	20. Robowarriar

_Chapter 20 is FINALLY out and ready for reading. Sorry guys, but I haven't been keeping up on my updates as much as I wanted to. I've been really busy with school and my art. But that still doesn't mean I'm gonna leave you all hanging. I'll still do my best in updating. And thank you all for waiting. Enjoy the chapter!_

_Happy Reading/Writing!  
_

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Clare POV**

We just regrouped after another chase from the cops. This was the already the sixth time in just a couple of days. Maybe going into public fast food restaurants wasn't such a good idea. But hey, a human's got to eat.

We finally entered another city I was not familiar with. Bee said that our location was close. I was relieved. This little road trip was getting a little annoying will all the glaring people and chases.

After a few minuted of driving around, we stopped in front of a butcher shop. 'Seriously?' I thought to myself, slightly appalled. I waited for Bee to drive off, but he didn't.

"Here we are," Bumblebee said sweetly.

"Are you kidding me?" I muttered.

"No. Why?" he asked in a curious tone.

"Never mind," I said as I put on my sunglasses on and got out.

"Do you want your suitcase?"

"Yeah, I should take it with me," I said as I reached back in and grabbed my suitcase.

"What's in there anyway?" Bee asked.

"I'll tell you later. For now, keep patrol until I call you to come back. Alright?"

The blond hologram tipped an imaginary hat at me, then drove off. Jazz followed as did the twins when Caitlin and Leo climbed out of them.

"A butcher shop?" Caitlin asked uneasily.

"What? You're a vegetarian?" Leo asked.

"No, I just don't like looking at dead animals," she said and shuddered.

I patted Caitlin's shoulder and said, "You'll be fine."

"Alright. I'll go in first," Leo said.

"You know what he looks like?" I asked.

"No," Leo said a little quietly. "But I'll be able to tell who it is."

"I'm not going to wait. I'm going in too," I muttered then walked in with Caitlin right behind me. Leo follows after heaving a sigh.

The smell of blood and meat rushed up my nose the second I entered. I felt like gagging but instead I wrinkled my nose. It was nasty.

Leo walked up to the counter. A man was busily chopping meat. His head was down, so I couldn't see his face. But by the way he was swinging his butcher knife, he seemed to be very irritated.

"Robowarrior," Leo said darkly. "Ever heard of him?"

The man lifted his head and glared at Leo. I don't know if my soul sunk or rose when I realized who it was.

"Simmons?" I asked. When Simmons looked at me, his eyes narrowed. He remembered me, that's for sure.

"Alright. Everyone out! The Meat Market is closed!" Simmons yelled out and began to shoo everyone, except us, out of the store.

A woman came out from the back, looking appalled. She looked at Simmons furiously as said, "What are you doing;. There are still a few hours left!"

Simmons angrily shoved the woman back to the backroom, muttering, "Not now, Ma. I'm busy."

"Ma?" Leo asked, holding back a laugh.

"You live with your mother?" Caitlin asked.

"No," Simmons snapped. "My mother lives with me." He glared at me. "So, what brings you here, kid? I see that NBE-1 is alive and kicking. He made you the enemy of this nation along with every nation on the planet," he said with bitter humor.

I stares blankly at him, trying my very best not to snap or take my rage out on him. Sadly I still had my anger fits which I'm trying to control. But Simmons really wasn't helping my control one bit.

"I need your help," I said as calmly as I could.

"Oh really?" he said, astonished. "You need my help?" I nodded. Simmons loomed over me. "Let me tell you something, kid. Sector 7 was deactivated because of you."

"Me? What did I do!" I asked incredulously.

"Your alien robots damaged half of Hoover Dam along with an airport! We got blamed for it and we had to use our funding to repair all of it!"

"Uhm...sorry."

"Ha! Saying sorry won't bring Sector 7 back. And it won't give me my job back! God. I have nothing now. Not even insurance!"

I couldn't help myself. I was sick of his bullshit.

"Don't you dare complain to me. You think you have it bad? For the past two weeks, I have been slowly losing my mind. Little alien symbols keep appearing in my vision and I keep hearing voices. On top of that, I have been _fucked_ by Megatron so many times, it's not even funny. He has invaded my mind until I have mental break downs!" Simmons stared at me. There was something in his eyes that I have never seen before in him. It almost looked like.. .pity. It concerned me, so I continued in a more calm manner. "Look, I came here to ask you for your help. I need to know what these symbols mean. Think of it as, regaining your honor."

Simmons closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead. He finally let out a groan and said, "Alien symbols, huh?"

"Yeah."

"Meat locker, come on," Simmons went to the backroom.

"He's so weird.," Caitlin murmured to me.

"You have no idea," I muttered back then followed Simmons.

There were dead butchered pigs hanging upside down from the ceiling. Caitlin shrieked when she saw them. I grabbed her arm and tugged her along. I realized that I was shivering. Damn, it was cold in there. I was even able to see my own breath.

Simmons motioned us to come forward. He was kneeling down from where I could see. We got closer and saw him opening a panel up from the floor, like a trap door.

"This is top secret," Simmons said in a _very_ serious tone. "Do _not_ tell my mother."

Without warning, the three of us cracked up. I knew the Simmons was glaring at us but I didn't really care at the moment. His seriousness was so damn funny. He silently went down the trap door after shaking his head. We followed, still trying to recover from laughing.

The four of us entered a small room. It was a little homey, with a table and chairs. There were also boxes and files all stacked and piled in the corner. Caitlin, who was dragging my suitcase, accidently bumped into Leo who looked at her then shrieked.

"What?" Caitlin asked, startled.

Leo pointed to a little glass case which was behind Caitlin. Inside, to my horror, was Frenzy's head. I stared at the small Decepticon's head.

"How did you get that?" I asked Simmons, quietly.

"I stole it from Sector 7 when it was shutting down," he said dryly as he climbed up the stacked boxes. "That and all these files."

I whistled in aw then said, "That is a lot of files."

"Well, there has to be a lot of information considering the fact that your alien friends have been on this planet for a very long time," the ex-agent muttered as he grabbed a fat file and threw it down onto the table. The dust from the file and table flew into out faces and we began to cough uncontrollably. Simmons climbed down while we tried to regain our ability to breath.

"Alright kid," Simmons began as he skimmed through some papers. "are these the symbols you see?"

The ex-agent began to show me pictures of ancient artifacts and structures that have the symbols on them. Places from all around the had them, to my amazement. All from different time periods.

"Yeah, those are the symbols all right," I asked as I looked at each picture.

"These symbols were found everywhere all around the world," Simmons explained as he showed me more pictures. "From Egypt, to China. From South America, to Australia."

"Sweet, but what do they mean?"

"Beats me," Simmons said with a shrug. I sighed hopelessly. "Sorry kid. I wish I could have helped more. I really do."

"It's all good. At least you tried," I said as I glanced down at a few other photos which were sticking out from the file. "Hey...what are these?" I pulled the pictures out from the file. They are pictures of old vehicles. Very old vehicles.

"Oh those? Those are just some vehicles we found that have the same alien radiation that matched the cube, you, and your alien friends," Simmons answered.

"So they're Cybertronian?" I asked.

"Well, I assumed that. I asked, no, pleaded to Sector 7 to continue research on these guys. You know what they said?" We all shook our heads, no. "They said I was _obsessed_! Me! Can you believe that!" 'Actually, yes,' I thought to myself but I merely shook my head again along with Leo and Caitlin.

"But...," Caitlin began. "Can't you find these guys and talk to them?"

"We could find them but probably can't talk to them," I answered. "They might be in stasis. But maybe I can wake one of them up."

"Maybe?" Simmons asked. "What do you mean by maybe?"

"Well," I began, looking down at my right arm. "The energon flow in my arm is...not constant. It stops and starts up randomly."

"Why?" Leo asked. I gave him a semi dark look.

"Because Megatron thought it would be fun to screw around with the energy inside me," I growled. I saw Leo recoiled a bit. I sighed. "Sorry, but I just don't know about my ability anymore. I couldn't even revive Optimus."

"Ok, ok," Simmons said impatiently. "Say. We could wake these guys up. How are we going to find them? It's not like we can go up and ask a Decepticon for their locations." I couldn't help but smile.

"We don't need to go to a Decepticon. I have one right here," I said and patted the suitcase.

"You still have that blue truck thing!" Caitlin asked incredulously.

"His name is Wheelie and he's not that bad of a mech. He's just a little confused," I said, then turned to Simmons. "Hey, uh, do you have a weapon at hand? Just in case." Simmons, to my surprise pulled out a taser. I stared at it for a moment then said, "Yeah, that'll do."

With Leo's help, I lifted my suitcase up and onto the table. Caitlin was ready to open the case, while Simmons and I were prepared to hold and tase the mech if necessary.

In a swift motion, Caitlin unzipped the case and lifted the flap. Wheelie immediately lunged out towards me. Simmons quickly zapped the blue mech enough to stun him. I took my chance and grabbed Wheelie by his neck.

"Hey!" I yelled out. "Behave!" I was a bit surprised when Wheelie calmed down. Simmons stared at the mech in total aw.

"I can't believe it. I've been looking for these things for all my life and could never find any. And here you come with one, tamed like a little dog," he murmured to me. Wheelie slowly turned and faced Simmons. His normal red eye was glowing with fury.

"You want a throw down you big son of a bitch!" Wheelie snarled.

I snickered at his insult despite Simmons' little glower towards me. He was funny, in a mean way.

"Hey Wheelie, I'm sorry I stabbed your eye. I won't do it again, ok?" I said as sweetly as I could.

"Alright," the little mech muttered.

"Now," I said as I released him. "I need your help."

"But...," he began nervously.

"I won't let Megatron hurt you. I promise."

"A-alright. What do you need?"

"Well, first, can you read this?" I asked and pointed to the pictures of the symbols.

"Oh! That's the language of the Primes!" Wheelie said as he patted the pictures. "But, I don't read it."

"Primes...?" I asked quietly. "Well, here, do you know anything about any of these guys?" I held up the picture of the older vehicles.

"Those guys! Wow! How the frick did you find those guys?" Wheelie asked incredulously. "These guys are supposed to be hidden! I'm sure they'll be able to read these symbols for ya!"

"Really?" I asked excitedly.

"You know where any of them are at?" Simmons asked.

"Yup. Do you guys have a map?" the little mech answered. Simmons dove into a pile of old looking papers and pulled out a map of the US. "The closest guy is this one here." Wheelie patted the picture of the old jet.

"Oh? The SR-71 Blackbird?" Simmons asked?

"Yeah. He's right over here," Wheelie said and shined a green light to a located between Virginia and Maryland. Washington DC. "He's in stasis lock in some famous uh...museum?"

"The Smithsonian?" Caitlin suggested.

"Probably the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, since it's a jet," Simmons mumbled.

"Yeah! That!" Wheelie said happily.

"Well then, ladies and gentlemen, we're going to DC!" Simmons called out.

For the next few hours, Caitlin, Leo and I helped Simmons pack up special gears for the trip. Most of them were stolen from Sector 7. No surprise there. Simmons also gave Caitlin and Leo extra sweatshirts so they could hide their identities more easily. When we were nearing ready to leave, I texted Bumblebee to come pick us up. Simmons, being the adult in out group, decided that we all should be in one car. Me being second in command, I got to choose Bumblebee.

The four of us, plus Wheelie, waiting outside the butcher shop for the Autobots. Bumblebee quickly pulled over in front of us, then Jazz and the twins. Jazz's hologram stepped out and glared at Simmons.

"Aw hell no," he said. "Where is spark's name did he come from?"

"He's Robowarrior," I said dryly. "And he's going to be with us. So stop it."

Jazz groaned.

"Fine. But he aint gonna be in me," he mumbled.

"No, he won't. The four of us are going to be in Bee."

"Oh...poor Bee," Mudflap said as his hologram also steps out. "He's stuck with the pussy, the bitch, and the old man!"

"Yeah. But at least he's got Clare!" Skids added.

"Shut up," I muttered to them then pointed to Simmons. "You. In the driver's seat."

"Shot gun!" Leo called out.

"No. I'm taking shot gun. You and Caitlin are in the back seats. Got it?" I said.

Leo groaned as Caitlin shrugged. I knew she didn't really care where she sat.

"Hey, where will I be?" Wheelie asked.

"In the trunk!" Simmons snapped.

"No," I said firmly. "You can be in the front with me." Wheelie made a squeal like sound and clung to my leg. I rolled my eyes and turned to the holograms. "Alright, we're going to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Do any of you know how to get there?"

"Yes, we know how to get there," Bee said after a moment.

"Good. Now let's go before we attract more attention," I said as I began to notice people giving us frightful looks.

The Bee's hologram disapeared completely while the other holograms went into their respected cars. The four of us humans, and Wheelie who was still clinging to my leg, climbed into Bee, then we all drove off.


	21. Jetfire

_Chapter 21 is up and ready for reading! Whew. Finally able to type up a new chapter. Thank you fore being patient with me guys! Since the holidays are coming up, maybe I'll have more time to upload another chapter or two. We shall see! Enjoy this chapter!_

_Happy reading/ writing!  
_

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It took us a few days to get to DC, plus a couple of hours for us to stop and eat. Simmons, being the adult and all, payed for all of our food. Leo, the jackass that he was ,decided to take advantage of that and order very large meals. Simmons wasn't too thrilled but he payed for it anyway. I tried to offer him some money but he declined. I guess he likes acting like the macho male. Thankfully, we were not chased by the cops. I was relieved that the Autobots didn't have to split up. I was even more relieved that the twins weren't fooling around as much. Thank the lord!

We finally got to the museum. It was huge! But then again, most museums are pretty big. It was Sunday, so the museum was closed, which was good. If we were going to revive a giant robot in there, I don't want other people freaking out or getting hurt. Hopefully it wasn't going to go crazy and attack any of us. Now the big question of the day was, how were we going to get in? Simmons, to my amazement, already had a plan.

The Autobots drove into the museum's parking lot and parked very far from the entrance. The four of us, and Wheelie, got out of Bumblebee. The second Simmons got out, he immediately began to give us orders.

"Alright, you four," Simmons began, pointing at the Autobot holograms who got out of their vehicle selves. "Keep watch."

Jazz snorted. "Fine," he said in a dry tone. "It's not like we can do anything else at the moment."

I gently patted the lieutenant on the shoulder and said, "It's alright, Jazz. Hopefully we won't take too long."

Simmons then dragged his box out of Bumblebee's trunk. He opened the box and pulled out a couple of tasers. Leo stared at the tasers in horror as Simmons handed one to him.

"W-wait. What are those for?" Leo asked, clearly panicked.

"For the guards," Simmons said bluntly. "We need to stun them so we can get inside."

"Oh, no," Leo said. He held his taser away as if it was a rattle snake. "I'm not going to tase anyone! I can't do this. I can't!"

Simmons angrily shoved Leo against Mudflap and pinned him there. We girls and Autobots watched as Simmons lectured Leo.

"Kid, you will _not_ jeopardize this mission. Do you understand me? Now look me in the eye and tell me if you're man enough to wield this taser!" Simmons growled. Caitlin and I snickered as the ex-agent gave Leo a little 'pep' talk. Especially while he was using a _very _serious tone.

Finally, when everyone was ready, the Autobots drove off and kept patrol while the five of us headed towards the entrance. We split up into partners. I was with Simmons, thankfully. Obviously, Wheelie came with me and Simmons. Poor Caitlin was left to be with a panicked Leo, who was muttering to himself in Spanish.

We all snuck closer to the main entrance. Guards stood in front of the door. I didn't think they saw us because they didn't look at our direction nor did they attempt to tell us to get lost. Weird. Oh well.

There were very few cars in the parking lot, so we decided to regroup behind a car that was closes to the entrance. We knew that the guards weren't going away any time soon so we decided that we needed someone to distract them. To his great dismay, Leo was voted to be the one to distract them. Leo went with no argument. He obviously wanted to avoid another talk with Simmons.

It was very amusing to watch Leo grabbing the guards' attention. He did the unthinkable. He pulled his pants and underwear down and waddled up to the guards. Caitlin, Wheelie, and I were trying our very best to hold back our laughter. Simmons, on the other hand, was shaking his head and muttering, "That kid has no dignity, what so ever." After a few moments, after we quieted back down, Simmons said told us to move out.

Simmons quickly grabbed his taser and snuck towards the entrance. The three of us followed closely and silently. We stopped yards away from the entrance and hid behind a garbage can. We watched as the two guards took Leo inside. After we lost sight of them, the four of us ran in.

The first thing we saw inside was Leo on the ground along with the two guards. All three of them were shaking and twitching. Simmons glared down at Leo as Wheelie cracked up.

"What happened?" I asked even though I already assumed what had happened.

"I...tased them...then...tased myself...by accident," Leo said.

"Amateur, kid. You are rank amateur!" Simmons spat. While he continued to lecture Leo, Wheelie rolled up to me and patted me leg.

"Hey, Warrior Goddess. Follow me. I'll show you where he is," he said then transformed into his little blue truck self and drove off.

"Hey wait!" I called out then ran after him. I hear Caitlin call my name, so I yelled back, "Come on! Wheelie is finding the jet!"

Wheelie led me to the air plane exhibit. Right smack in the middle of the room was the jet we were looking for. The SR-71 Blackbird. It looked exactly like it did in the picture. Wheelie stopped right in front of the jet then transformed.

"This guy here, he's a legend! I'm telling ya, he'll be great help," he said.

"Now, let's hope this will work," I said to myself.

Caitlin and Simmons, who was dragging Leo, caught up to me. Leo was beginning to be able to move again. Good.

"Do your thing, kid," Simmons grunted.

I nodded then took my right glove off. I felt the energy build up. It felt alive inside me again. It felt good to finally regain control of it.

I cautiously stepped over the line barrier and went closer towards the jet. I extended my exposed hand towards it. Before I touched it, the energy in me immediately began to build up even more. Just as my fingers grazed the tip of the jet's nose, the energy shot out . So much for control. It felt a little like a static shock. But I felt something more in the shock. It felt like a quick connection between me and the plane. I suddenly knew this Decepticon's name. Wait...Decepticon?

"Oh, SHIT!" I yelled the second the jet began to transform. "He's a Decepticon!"

"A what?" Leo asked, clearly not understanding. I probably should have explained the difference between Autobot and Decepticon to him.

"Oh snap," Caitlin whispered.

"Fall back! Retreat!" Simmons roared then ran. I grabbed Wheelie then ran to the nearest plane and hid under it.

"Why didn't you tell me that he was a Decepticon!" I asked Wheelie frantically.

"You didn't ask," he retorted. I couldn't help but give myself a facepalm. It was really pathetic.

Caitlin, Leo, and Simmons all huddled close to me and Wheelie. We watched the jet as it transformed...still. It looked like he was having trouble. I finally saw his body and limbs shape up. The Decepticon kept muttering words as he banged around clumsily. So far, this Decepticon looked old. Very old. He was hunched like a typical old man and even held a cane. I could see that there were some jagged metal pieces coming down his face like a beard. Finally, after a few agonizing minutes of watching him struggle, the jet was finally in his robot mode. He looked around, clearly angry and confused.

"What sort of hideous mausoleum is this?" he asked with a thick Scottish accent. "I know someone's here! Show yourself and face the fury of JETFIRE!"

Jetfire began to wonder around the exhibit. He continuously ran into other planes and hanging objects. He grumbled on to himself about his body rusting. Poor old mech.

"This guy don't age well," Wheelie muttered.

"Shut it," I muttered back and got out from under the plane.

"Wait! Where are you going?" Leo called out urgently.

"Over to Jetfire. I don't think he wants to hurt us," I said back calmly and continued to go over to the Decepticon. I could tell that he was trying to find a way out. Jetfire stopped in front of a wall and stood there. I waited for him to do something, but he didn't.

The second I opened my moth to say something, Jetfire roared, "Worthless missiles! Fire! I say. FIRE!" Two missiles suddenly flew out from him and crashed into the ceiling and floor, not doing much damage. "Dammit," Jetfire growled angrily and punched the wall down then limped outside. I ran after him with the others behind me. The Decepticon continued to limp his way around the back of the museum.

"Oh no," I muttered. "BUMBLEBEE!"

"Ohhh...the museum is going to be very angry. Very angry indeed," I heard Simmons mutter behind me.

Suddenly, the four Autobots drove up at full speed and surrounded Jetfire. They made no attempt in attacking nor did they transform.

"Out of my way!" Jetfire yelled.

"Hold it!" I called out. "We just want to talk."

"I have no time to talk to a mere fleshling. I'm on a mission. I have to find the Matrix of Leadership. Wait! What planet am I on?"

We all were a little stunned by the random question. It was a little funny but still odd. I really couldn't do much more than answer.

"Earth," I said.

"Earth?" Jetfire asked. From his retort, I could tell that he didn't fully approve of the planet name. "Whatever, I need to get on with my mission. There's a civil war between my kind!"

"I know," I said. "The Decepticons are winning."

"Really? Damn. I really hated being a Decepticon. That's why I changed sides and became an Autobot."

"You can do that?" Wheelie asked.

"Of course! It's just a personal decision I made. Working for the Fallen was really troublesome and irritating. He even left me here to rust!"

"Wait, you know the Fallen?" I asked.

"Why, yes! Terrible fellow. He detested this planet because it has life on it. Stupid reason really," Jetfire muttered then looked down at me. His rusted body froze. I saw some curiosity in his red eyes as he knelt down.

"What?" I asked.

"You have been marked, haven't you?" he asked. "Marked by the All Spark." I absently touched the scar on my chest. 'How the hell did he know?' I thought. "Show me." Jetfire said, suddenly. I unzipped my jacket and pulled the collar of my shirt down, revealing the scar. "Ah...," the ex-Decepticon whispered and leaned closer. "The Primes have chosen you."

"Wait. What?" I asked. "Primes? Like Optimus Prime?"

Jetfire's red eyes widened with excitement as he asked, "You've met a Prime? A living Prime? Is he here on this planet?"

"He was killed recently. He died trying to protect me," I said grimly. Jetfire stared at me for a second then reached out and gently patted my head.

"You loved him, didn't you?" he murmured. I gave him a slight nod. "It's alright, little lass. I can tell he loved you as well." He chuckled softly. "You were destined to be with him, just as you were destined to go on this mission."

"Mission?" I asked.

"To find the Matrix!" he roared proudly, then coughed. "You have the knowledge! Go on! Use it to find it!"

"But, I don't understand it. Can you translate it for me?" I asked.

"Of course I can, lass!"

I quickly grabbed a rock and drew all the symbols into the ground. It took a while, but I managed to draw all of them out again. Jetfire knelt down and watched my closely. He began to mutter to himself when I finished drawing the symbols.

"So?" I asked. "What does it say?"

"No time for that! Hold on little fleshlings and Autobots!" Jetfire roared.

Before any of us were able to say or do anything, Jetfire wrapped his large hands around us humans. Suddenly a glowing blue light surrounded us. It felt like many static shocks were striking my body. It didn't hurt but it tingled a lot. The light flashed blindingly around us and my body suddenly jerked off the ground.

When I was able to see again, I realized that I was in midair; over a hundred feet off the ground. But I wasn't alone. Leo, Caitlin, Wheelie and Simmons were with me too. Then, before any of us where able to do anything, we were all falling and screaming. Tumbling through the air, descending to our deaths. This was the end.

But, then, I heard a loud band and more screams. As I flipped around in the air, I got a glimpse of something large and yellow. Bumblebee. Somehow, he and the other Autobots were in their robot modes. They were also tumbling down, coming towards us in a dangerous speed.

"Clare!" Bee yelled and reached out to me.

"Bumblebee!" I yelled back. I couldn't help but reach out as well.

He came closer and closer to me as I was getting closer to the earth. The closer we got, the slower time seemed to get. For a moment, most of my hearing died out. All I could hear was the voice in my head yelling, 'Reach! Reach for him!' It was very hard to reach for him while I was tumbling around in the air like a rag doll, but he was close. Close enough to touch. My fingers were barely able to graze against Bee's before he grabbed me and held me close to his chest.

"It's alright," he said breathlessly. "I go you." I felt him tighten his grip around me a little. "It's going to be a bumpy ride!"

Bumblebee held me with both of his hands as he pressed me against his chest. I squeezed my eyes shut and prayed. There was a loud crash and my body jerked around in Bee's grip. He held me tighter as I heard more crashes and felt more jerking. Then everything went still. The sound of irritated groans began to fill my ears along with Wheelie's loud ranting.

"Hey! That freakn' hurt! What the hell were ya thinkin'!" he roared.

Bumblebee finally let go of me and sat up. I slid down to his lap and rubbed my sore spots. That really was a bumpy ride. I hopped down from my guardian's lap and looked around. The area was very dusty. Probably because a bunch of large robots just crashed landed into one area like a meteor. When the dust finally cleared, I let out a gasp. We were in the middle of a desert. How annoying. It was even more sunny and hot here than back home. Damn it all. I hate the heat.

I looked at the Autobots, who were all laying on the ground. I realized that they were all holding someone. Jazz held a startled Simmons, who stumbled out of his hands. The twins held Caitlin and Leo. Both, Caitlin and Leo, were completely stunned and confused. And last but not least, Jetfire was on his back, yards away, with a tiny Wheelie in his hand.

"Is everyone alright?" I called out, feeling a bit irritated. Everyone groaned a yes in unison. "Good," I murmured.

Mudflap sat up as Leo jumped off his chest. He rubbed his head and grumbled, "Wow. That was one wild ass ride!"

"Can we go again?" Skids asked as he stood. Everyone glared at him and he went silent.

They all seemed to be alright, mostly. There was little damage done to them but, I still wanted to be sure. I gently placed my hand on Bee and managed to fix up the damage that was done. Thankfully, I was able to really control my energy flow this time. It's about damn time. I did the same to Jazz and the twins. They were all thankful for the quick fix up since they weren't able to get recharge for a couple weeks now.

"Oh, that wasn't so bad," Jetfire mumbled. He tried to sit up but was having trouble. Jazz and Bumblebee went over and helped the poor old mech up and onto his feet. He thanked them then said, "Well, at least we're on the same planet."

"Same planet?" Simmons roared as he stalked up to him. "Are we in the same country!"

I went over to Jetfire as was about to heal him. Before I was able to, he stopped me. He said that there was no need for it. I don't know why that made my heart hurt. But all that hurt disappeared and was replaced with, once again, irritation as Simmons continued to badger Jetfire.

"That really hurt. You know that?" He snarled at the old mech. "You're just lucky we didn't get hurt as badly as..." Jetfire cut him off.

"Oh shut up. I told you that opening a Space Bridge would be the fastest way to travel."

"Space Bridge?" Leo asked.

"Told? You didn't tell us anything!" I said angrily.

"I didn't?" Jetfire asked thoughtfully.

"Where are we? Why are we here!" Simmons roared.

"Don't get snippy with me, human," Jetfire shot back.

"Hey, hey!" I called out. "Calm down, you guys. We're all friends here, right?"

Jetfire and Simmons gave either other a nasty glare then nodded. I was glad that I was being the peace maker here. It made me feel a bit less irritated about the situation. After everyone cooled down, we gathered around Jetfire as I began to question him.

"Alright, so where are we exactly?" I asked.

"Egypt!" Jetfire said triumphantly as if he's accomplished something great.

"And, why are we in Egypt?"

"Why? The Matrix is here! Somewhere..."

"The Matrix? Really!" I asked excitedly.

"Wait, wait! What _is _the Matrix?" Simmons asked. A very good question.

"It's a great energy source, that was used to power a great machine," Jetfire said.

"Energy source," I quietly repeated. "Do you think it could revive Optimus Prime?"

Jetfire thought for a moment then said, "It was never made for that purpose. But, I assume that it would."

Jetfire then went on about the history of the Primes and their machine. Apparently the machine was built to harvest suns. The matrix was basically the battery that turned on and powered the machine. Jetfire also mentioned that the Fallen wanted to use the machine to destroy Earth because there was life on it, which was forbidden.

"So," I concluded. "The Primes all ganged up against the Fallen and took the Matrix?"

"Exactly," Jetfire said. "They stole it back from him and hid it in the tomb of their own bodies."

"And the tomb is somewhere in this desert."

"Yes."

"But...where?"

"Use the knowledge, lass! The symbols! 'When night hits the skies, three kings will show you the way!'"

"Three kings?" I asked.

"Well, since we're in Egypt, there are three pyramids," Leo said. "Are those the kings?"

"No. The stars are," Caitlin called out and pointed to the darkened sky. I didn't realize that it has gotten dark. We've been out here for quite a while.

"What? Stars?" Leo asked and looked up.

"Orion's Belt. The three starts that make up Orion's Belt are also called the three kings," she explained.

"She's right," Bee said quietly.

"Yeah, the Egyptian kings used Orion's Belt to make the pyramids. So you were on the right track, Leo," Jazz added.

"Alright," I said then turned back to Jetfire. "What are you going to do?"

The ex-Decepticon pondered for a bit before saying, "I don't really know, to be honest."

"Well, whatever you do, please be careful."

Jetfire let out a pleasant chuckle. It was a heartbreaking chuckle. I looked into his red eyes. They looked so old and so very sad. Eyes that have seen so much. I had a feeling that he wasn't going to make it. The thought brought tears to my eyes. It just wasn't fair. Jetfire smiled gently and patted my head again.

"There there, little lass. Don't cry. We all have out time to go," he said softly. I sniffed and wiped my tears away.

"Y-yeah," I said. "You're right."

"Good, now go!" Jetfire yelled. "Leave before the Decepticons find us!"

The Autobots, minus Jetfire, transformed into their vehicle modes. Us humans and Wheelie went to Bumblebee and climbed in. Before I climbed in, I turned back to Jetfire.

"Thank you. For everything. I hope I can see you again."

"Go!" Jetfire roared. "Go and save your Prime! Fulfil your destiny!"

I couldn't help but smile as I climbed into Bumblebee. 'Your Prime,' he said. Yes. My Optimus Prime. The Autobots honked their goodbyes to Jetfire then drove off at full speed. I glanced at old mech through the rearview mirror. He merely stood there and watched us leave. I saw him lift his cane up and pointed it towards the night sky, as if he was pointing the way.

"Thank you, Jetfire," I whispered again. "For believing in me."


	22. Phone Call

_Chapter 22! Wohoo! At the end of this chapter you get to see Megatron's obsession with Clare. Teehee. I actually like the craziness in Megatron. Anyway, enjoy the chapter! And please review!  
_

_Happy Reading/Writing!  
_

* * *

We drove through the unknown desert for hours. It was pretty fun considering that there were no other cars or people around. No roads to limit where we should or shouldn't go. No speed limits to slow us down. It was night time, and I knew that the air was much cooler outside. I wanted to roll the windows down but that would have been bad. There was a lot of dust and sand, and the four of us did not want to suffocate from it.

The Autobots went to an old building. It looked abandoned so it was the best place for us to crash for the night. There were also no towns near enough to see us, so we didn't have to worry about keeping a low profile or anything like that. When we got to the structure, us humans climbed out of Bumblebee. Wheelie was clinging to my leg again, but I was too tired to care. Bee and the other Autobots transformed into their robot modes and stretched out. Jazz let out a little groan.

"Damn, man. I need some real down time," he announced and gave me a sheepish grin. Everyone else muttered in agreement. I couldn't help but giggled at their lazy response. "Well then...," Jazz murmured then scooped me up. "Let's go." He walked off with me in his hands and entered the building. The other Autobots followed Jazz's lead, each holding a human.

The building had an enormous entrance. It was probably big enough for even Optimus to go through. It looked like it was made from just stone and dirt, so it gave in an really ancient feel. I heard Simmons' distant mutter about the door being the biggest he's ever seen. I had to snicker at that statement. He obviously hasn't seen the garage door of our factory back home. It was pretty big as well.

Thinking about home made me wonder how we were going to get back. After we get the Matrix, there was no way to go back to revive Optimus. We were in a completely different continent across the Atlantic Ocean. I highly doubted that the Autobots could drive under water. That would be very bad for them and for us humans. We'd run out of oxygen. Maybe Jetfire would be able to take us back. But, then again, he could have left by now. If not, he's still very old and he probably won't be able to bring us back at all even if we did find him. Or worse, he could accidentally take us to some other country or even...planet. So what were our options now? I still had my sister's cell phone that I can use. But who the hell would I call? NEST? Maybe.

"Something wrong, baby girl?" Jazz asked, breaking my thought process.

"Just thinking," I said, still trying to cogitate.

"About?"

"What we're going to do after we find the Matrix."

"Uh...go to Prime and revive him?"

"Well, yeah. Duh. I meant how. We can't exactly drive back to America."

"True," the lieutenant said thoughtfully as he put me down. He turned to the others who were just coming in. "Hey, ya'll, how are we gonna go back home?"

"I thought we couldn't go back home since it's destroyed and all," Skids said dryly.

"Not Cybertron, you glitch," Jazz said impatiently. "I meant back to America."

"Ohhhhh, my bad," Skids mumbled.

"Uhhhh...good question," Mudflap said as he lowered Caitlin down. Bumblebee and Skids lowered Simmons and Leo as well. They also seemed to ponder over the question.

"We need to get to Optimus somehow," I muttered.

"Maybe we can bring him here," Caitlin suggested.

"How in spark's name are we going to do that?" Bee asked.

"Yeah. Who's willing to ship ten tons of dead Autobot here?" Skids added miserably.

"Well," Jazz began. "NEST might be able to. I'm sure Lennox and his team are willing to help us. And we _all _know that Ironhide and the others_ will _try to help us." Everyone smiled at the idea. I merely frowned.

"How can we contact them without having the Decepticons and government tracking us?" I asked darkly.

"We're just going to have to take our chances, baby girl," Jazz said gently.

"Besides, the Decepticons are probably planning on heading here already since the Fallen might know where the Matrix is," Bumblebee added.

"Alright," I said tiredly. "So, who should I call? Ironhide or Lennox?"

"Try Ironhide," the yellow mech said.

I nodded and pulled my sister's cell phone out. It had all of it's bars, so it had signal. Thank the lord. I quickly texted 'Ironhide' into the cell phone, hit call, and waited. No answer.

"Weird," I whispered. "He didn't answer."

"Try again. If not, call Lennox," Jazz said. There was some strain in his voice that I did not like. I really hoped nothing happened to Ironhide or to the other Autobots and NEST.

I tried again. Thankfully, this time I heard his deep familiar voice.

"Clare? Is that you?" Ironhide asked. His voice was oddly quiet.

"Yeah. It's me. Are you ok? You sound kinda off."

"Not really."

"Why? What's going on over there?"

"We're stuck in our alt. modes and locked up in a military base."

"What? Why?"

"We're going to be transported back to the NEST base, Clare. And we're being forced to stay there."

"No. They can't do that! I need you guys to come here with Optimus. I need all of NEST here!"

There was a pause before Ironhide asked, "Where are you?"

"In Egypt...somewhere."

Another pause, then, "EGYPT?" A smile spread across my face. Of how I missed his angry outbursts.

"Long story, but we really need you guys and Optimus. I think we're close to the Matrix."

"Clare, we can't come. We're not allowed to leave the NEST head quarters. It's over," Ironhide said, back to his quiet gloomy voice.

"No! It can't be over! We're so close, Ironhide! We need you!"

"I have no say in this, kid."

"But...what about Lennox? Transfer me to Lennox."

"Clare, I don't think..." I cut him off.

"Now!"

Ironhide transferred me without another word. I didn't understand what was going on. Why the hell was NEST closed down? Of all times to stop NEST! Can't they see that we need them more than ever right now?

"Hello?" Lennox's voice popped up from the cell phone.

"Lennox? It's Clare. You remember me, right?"

Another damn pause.

"What the hell are you doing? Why are you calling me? They could track you down, girl! Hang up!" he yelled in a panicked tone.

"No! Please don't hang up!" I started to cry out of desperation. "Please don't. I need your help. I need NEST."

"Alright. Alright. Calm down. Just calm down," Lennox quickly muttered. He seemed to be in a bad mood. I tried to calm down and quickly wiped my tears away. "You alright now?" I nodded then realized he couldn't see me. He went on before I could say yes. His voice was hushed."Now tell me what you need."

"This might sound crazy, but I need you guys to bring Optimus' body here."

"And...where is 'here'?"

"Somewhere in Egypt," I murmured then explained to him about reviving Optimus with the Matrix. I knew he that he had no clue what the Matrix was but he listened anyway.

"Well, I need to know _exactly_ where you guys are. Telling me that you're somewhere in Egypt really isn't that helpful," army boy explained.

"I know," I muttered and looked around. There was an opening in the roof of the structure. I could see the bright moon shining it's light down. My eyes scanned the skies for a moment then rested on three aligned stars: Orion's Belt. "Three kings," I whispered. "Will show us the way."

"What? Speak up," Lennox retorted. "Clare? Are you still there?"

I stared at the three stars. From the way they were aligned and angled, they looked like they were pointing to something. I quickly ran back outside to get a better look. My eyes followed the invisible path down and saw another building farther off, passing a few much smaller structures that I couldn't make out. Probably a very small town.

"Yoo-hoo, Clare! I know you're there," Lennox called out irritably. "If any of the Autobots are with you, maybe they can get the location. They _are _robots." Wow. No shit.

"Duh!" I exclaimed. "Sorry, Lennox, but I need a moment."

"'Kay."

"Jazz, can you get the coordinates of the building over there?" I called out.

"What building?" Jazz asked as he walked out with the others following closely. I pointed to the building. Jazz stood there for a moment and stared at the building. "Yup, got it."

"Alright, here, tell Lennox," I said and put the phone onto speaker. Jazz knelt down and spoke into the cell phone. He said the coordinates in some sort of weird code that I couldn't understand.

"I'll try to get my team and the Autobots over there," Lennox said after a moment.

"Please, hurry," I murmured.

"Will do, kid. And please, be careful," he muttered back then hung up.

We stood there silently and stared at the phone as if it held the answers to all our problems.

"That probably wasn't a good idea," Simmons said darkly.

"I know, but there really was no other way to contact them," I said back.

"It was a risk we had to take," Bee said grimly.

"But those evil guys will come and they're going to attack up," Leo said is a shaky voice.

"We'll be ready for them," Jazz growled.

"Yeah! We gonna kick some Decepticon ass!" Skids yelled out.

"Right on!" Mudflap added and pounded fists with Skids.

I gave them all a faint smile. I was so tired, it was hard to stay focused. My mind sort of floated off to another world.

"Whoa there," I suddenly heard Jazz say. I realized that he was using his hand to hold me up. "You're done for today, ain't ya?" he asked softly.

"Mmhmm," I murmured and absently leaned against his hand. Jazz gently picked me up and handed me over to Bumblebee.

"Then sleep, baby girl."

Bumblebee held me close to him. As I drifted off to sleep, I heard soft music play.

**Temporary NEST Base**

**Lennox POV**

I stood there for a moment with the phone still in my hand. That kid was still alive and running. Good for her. She had spunk, that's for sure. I was happy she hadn't cracked from everything that's been going on. Let's hope it'll stay that way. I was also very happy that she found a way to bring our big man back. But her calling me did worry me. It was a stupid thing to do. She could be found so easily by both the government and the Decepticons. Dammit.

The whole world has gone crazy. Everyone's looking for that poor girl, believing that the Decepticons will just leave the planet. I highly doubt that they would. I wondered what the Decepticons wanted with Clare. Was it because of her abilities or something else? She mentioned something called the Matrix. Were they looking for that? Hell. I don't know what's going on anymore! Maybe when all of this is over, I'll get some real answers.

I finally put the phone down and walked outside. My teammates were lounging around, looking very miserable. I glanced at the warehouse where the Autobots are held under Galloway's orders. Poor 'bots. They must really hate it in there.

I saw Epps with another teammate. He looked very irritated. I assumed that Galloway yelled at him again. I knew that I'm not the only one who hated Galloway's ass. We really needed to get rid of him.

Epps looked at me then stalked over. After letting out an irritated sigh, he said, "Man. That prick is _really _getting on my last nerve. I am so tempted to shoot him, it's not even funny!"

Usually, I would laugh or agree with him but I really wasn't in the mood. I was trying to think of a way to help Clare. There had to be a way to get the Autobots, dead and alive, and the rest of NEST to Egypt. We just had to do it. I really did not want to let the kid down. She sounded so sure about us being able to help her. It sucks the NEST fell apart to so damn quickly.

"Hey man, you ok?" Epps asked as he waved a hand in front of my face. I angrily smacked his hand away. "Whoa what's your problem?"

"Guess who called me just now," I said darkly.

"Your wife?"

"No. Remember that girl with the scars? The one everyone is looking for now?"

Epps stared at me for a second then quickly looked around before whispering, "Are you shitting me? She called you?" I nodded. "What the hell is wrong with her? What is she doing calling you? Is she crazy? Does she _want _to be found?"

"Calm down," I said, glancing around to see if anyone was watching us. Nobody was, thankfully. "She needs our help" I went on and quietly told him about my little conversation with her. Epps just stared at me the whole time. Not good.

"And...how is this little kid going to bring back the big man? Huh? Can we even trust her?" he asked.

I glared at him then said, "You _know _who I'm talking about, right? She's the same kid as before," I said angrily. I felt so frustrated that I went on a little rant. "The one who She has a bond with _all _the Autobots. She loves them all, Epps. Especially the big man. And he _loves _her!"

"Alright, alright! You don't have to give me that love shit. You already gave me one about you and your wife," he said as he held his hands up.

"Sorry, my point is though, we need to help her."

"Right, sorry. But how the hell are we going to Egypt?"

"Well...we're going to Diego Garcia by air," I said thoughtfully. "We can just give both pilots the coordinates..." Epps cut me off.

"The pilots won't go against Galloway's orders."

"Oh they will, since they hate Galloway as much as we do."

"What about Galloway? He'll be on the same plane as we are."

"Shit. That's right," I grumbled. Damn it all. That bastard always has to ruin our plans.

I glanced at some of my team members. They had all their gear on and were heading to our plane. It must have been nearly time to go. I let out a sigh and glanced back at them. I realized that they were wearing parachute packs. A grin spread across my face as my mind hatched an idea.

"What?" Epps asked, clearly seeing the look on my face.

I pointed to our teams mates with the parachute packs and said, "Bail out." Epps grinned as well.

"Nice. Let's bring them here so we can tell them about our little scheme."

"Yeah, we should include Johnson and Williams into our chat too," I said as I spotted the pilots. I just couldn't keep myself from smiling. We actually had a plan and a damn good plan too.

"Hey, Johnson! Williams! Get the guys and come over here!" Epps called out to the pilots.

Both pilots nodded then walked off. A few minutes later, they and our entire team came up to us. They all looked a bit agitated.

"What is it?" Johnson asked.

"We've got a change in the plan" I said. Epps and I both explained our little plan to them. They all listened closely, to my relief. My smile widened when I realized that everyone else were grinning as well.

**Somewhere in DC**

**Megatron POV**

I stood on top of a building, staring down at the worthless humans scurrying around. They panicked when they saw me. Their screams filled my audio sensors. I would have blasted them away to shut them up, but I really wasn't in the mood. I was very agitated. This wait was getting very troublesome. My master still had yet to arrive to this planet. That slagging old mech was taking his time to annoy me. I just know it.

What's worse is that not one on this Primus forsaken planet has found my pet yet. There has been sightings, of course. But every time I arrive to the location, she isn't there anymore. My bond with her has withered from what I've done with her, but that shouldn't stop me from knowing where she is. There's something keeping me from locating her. But what?

My frame shook with anger. My need for her grew more and more despite the shriveling bond. I couldn't feel her anymore, which made me very anxious. My talons raked down my chassis, just over my spark chamber. It pulsed with such lust that I was barely able to contain myself. A shudder shook through my frame from the feeling. Slag it all! This is just pathetic! How can I be like this over a human? A mere insect!

"My lord?" Starscream's voice asked, which brought me back to reality. "Are you alright?" I've completely forgotten that he was right here beside me. "You look a little...absent, my lord."

My optics flickered towards my second. He had a smug look on his visage. He must have thought that he's found my weakness. Perhaps he was correct, in a way, but I would _never _allow him to know that. I wanted to tear his expression off at that moment, but instead I bared my dentals, grinning maliciously at him. The way his smug expression faded pleased me greatly.

"Why yes, Starscream," I said pleasantly. "I am just fine." I watched in amusement as the seeker shuddered at my statement. Much better.

"M-my apologies, lord Megatron," he stuttered then paused. He pondered for a moment then said, "I believe Soundwave has found the girl's location, sir."

My entire frame immobilize. My pet. He has found her. He has found my beloved little pet. I get to touch her again. Taste her flesh and blood. Take her as many times as I want.

"Where is she?" I asked. I realized that my voice has deepened to a savage growl, which made Starscream flinch.

"S-soundwave got the coordinates to her location. She has contacted the NEST organization. They plan on transporting Prime's remains to her location so she can revive him."

I felt my optic twitch. Revive Prime? She plans on bringing Optimus back. She still wanted him over me. No. She can't. I will not allow that to happen!

"Round up the Constructicons," I snarled. "Go to that location and wait for our arrival."

"'Our', sir?"

"The Fallen's, mine, and the others I've ordered to come. This planet will be destroyed the moment that energon source is ours," I growled.

"Yes, my lord. Brilliant plan," Starscream muttered then transformed.

I watched the seeker fly off. My talons touched my chest plates again. That femme. She will be mine again. Forever! This time, no one will be able to come between us. Prime can not have her. Not ever. No one but me can have her!


	23. The Matrix Of Leadership

_Chapter 22 is up and ready for reading! I sort of rushed at the end of this chapter but I really wanted to get this one done. the next few chapters will hopefully be exciting for y'all. So enjoy this chapter! I'm so happy that everyone has been patient with me. And thank you so much for reviewing and staying with me this far! _

_Happy reading and writing! :D  
_

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**Clare POV**

"_And the femme. She will be mine. Forever!_" _he roared. "Prime can't have her. No one but me can have her!"_

"_They are coming to get you!" the voices all roared together. "Go to the Matrix!"_

I woke up gasping. Damn it all. Megatron was still looking for me. He's still obsessed. Those damn voices were right. We need to get moving quickly. My chest and arm were throbbing. My head felt heavy. And there was an odd sickness in my stomach. I felt horrible after just a quick vision. That probably wasn't good.

After taking a deep breath, all the nausea and pain disappeared. Progress. I sat up and realized that I was on Bumblebee's chest. His hand was curved over me protectively. He was still in recharge, or, in other words, asleep. I looked around at the others. Mudflap and Skids were sitting up against the wall, leaning against each other. They looked kinda sweet when they're together and not talking. Jazz was nowhere to be seen. Weird. Where did he go?

I looked around again then let out a sigh. He really wasn't here. Damn. We really needed to leave. I crawled out from under Bee's hand then slid off of him. I didn't see Caitlin, Simmons, or Leo leaning against Bee, so I accidentally landed right on them.

"OW!" Caitlin squealed.

"What the hell!" Simmons roared.

"AHHH!" Leo screamed.

I realized that I was sitting on Simmons with my feet kicking Caitlin and my arms flailing around Leo's face. The four of us tangled up in each other, startled by what just happened. We cussed and yelled as we tried to pull away from each other.

"I...sorry, you guys," I said as I was finally able to stand up. "Didn't mean to freak anyone out."

"It's alright," Caitlin muttered as she stretched out. Leo groaned and snuggled against Bee again. Simmons was already back to sleep. Caitlin stood up and leaned against the yellow mech, who was still asleep. I had no idea how he stayed asleep while we were thrashing around and yelling at each other. I wish I could stay asleep like that.

"So...where did Jazz go?" I asked Caitlin.

"Jazz?" she asked back and looked around. "No idea."

"Well, he better come back soon because we need to head out."

"Trouble?"

"Not yet. We need to get to the Matrix before anyone else comes here"

I realized that Bumblebee was twitching slightly. He was beginning to stir. As I looked around at the twins, they were waking up as well. Nice timing guys.

"Good morning," I murmured to Bee, who sat up and rubbed the back of his head.

"Morning," he said back lazily. The twins stoop up and stretched as the same time. They also grumbled their good mornings.

My guardian glanced down at Leo and Simmons and snickered. Caitlin and I looked and sniggered together. They were both still asleep , snoring lightly. It was a funny scene. At least they weren't clinging to each other or anything like that.

"Hey, where Jazz at?" Skids called out.

"No clue," Bee said as he stood, which disturbed Simmons and Leo. The ex-agent groaned while Leo also started to stir.

"Wake up, you two," I said and shook them both gently. Simmons grunted, but he was awake. Leo muttered in Spanish. "I know. I know. But we have to leave soon. Hopefully Jazz will get back here."

Wheelie suddenly zoomed up to me out of nowhere. He transformed and said, "Hey, Warrior Goddess, Jazz told me to tell you that he's gone to get some food for yous guys. So, he should be back in a little bit."

As if on cue, Jazz's hologram walked in. He was holding a plastic bag. He smiled as he came up to me.

"Hey, baby girl," he said cheerfully and ruffled my short hair.

"Hey, Jazz. What's in the bag?"

"I stole some food for you guys," he said with a shrug.

"You stole?" Caitlin asked.

"Hey, none of us have their currency, so I kinda had to," Jazz said dryly. "And I had to drive a long ass way to get to the nearest town, so you guys better eat all of it."

I snickered and took the bag. Caitlin merely shook her head and said in a chiding tonr, "It's alright, Jazz. Just don't do it again." He snorted, then grinned at her.

I looked through the bag of food. There were tons of fruits in it. A lot of which I've never seen before. Oh well. It's never bad to try new things. Though, Leo didn't seem to agree. He merely stared at the fruits as if they were poisonous. The rest of us ate. Some tasted good; very sweet and juicy. Others, however, tasted sour. But I really didn't care at the moment. I was very hungry. We all were. After a while, Leo finally gave in and ate. Thank the lord. He probably wouldn't have been able to go very far in he hadn't eaten. The last thing we needed was dead weight.

"So, Clare," Bee started, while we humans finished up eating. "What's the plan now?"

"We get out of here and go for another road trip. We have to get to Matrix," I said then thought for a moment. "When in NEST going to get here? If ever?"

"Well, if they left right after you called, probably in a few hours," Jazz replied.

"Alright," I said. "That gives us enough time to get to that building, but that also gives a lot of time for the Decepticons to get here as well."

"So, in other words, we still need to hustle," Jazz said then walked out. The other Autobots and Wheelie followed his lead. The rest of us humans, quickly finished our fruity brunch then ran out after them. Jazz, Bee, and the twins were all in their vehicle modes outside, waiting patiently for us. I could see Wheelie already in Bumblebee.

Simmons decided that we should leave his box and my suite case in the building. Good idea. If there were battles up ahead, Bumblebee would be distracted by the odd feeling of something foreign inside him. We didn't want that. However, Simmons did take his long distance walkie talkie with him. Probably to contact Lennox when NEST is near.

After everyone climbed into the yellow Camaro, we drove off to our destination. It felt a little wrong for all of us to be so calm. I wondered if we understood what was going on. The Decepticons were coming and we all knew that that meant a battle as well. The would could end today and yet, we were all so steady. Or were we all used to this and just waiting for them to come? Who knows.

Bee and the others picked up speed as we headed towards the structure. I didn't know how long it took us to get there. My mind was somewhat occupied the entire time. His voice kept on popping up. He kept whispering my name. Calling for me. Megatron was getting closer and we wanted me back. He was desperate now, which was bad. I knew how crazy he was, but how far can insanity go? If he's bad now, what would he be like if he completely snapped from the overwhelming lust. I didn't lust for him. Well...not at the moment. Sorry to admit it but, as must as I hate him, I do lust for him at times. When he touches me, I just want more. It was my sick fantasy to be in bed with him. And I hated myself for that. I truly do. At least, though, I wasn't obsessed like was. He just became bat-shit crazy from the bond.

"Clare?" Caitlin said, which brought me out of my thoughts. "We're here."

I looked out the window. Forget what said about the last building we were in. This one was twice as big and looked much older. There were cracks along the stone walls and a few pieces chunks were missing here and there. Part of the building looked like it had collapsed centuries ago. The rest looked pretty sturdy though.

"Wow," I murmured as I stepped out. "It's so big." Leo, Caitlin, and Simmons got out as well, also staring at the magnificent structure. I absently wished that I had my camera with me.

Skids transformed and declared, "Spectacular."

"That is one amazing piece right there," Jazz murmured softly after he transformed.

After Bee and Mudflap transformed and stared at the building for a bit, we all headed in. There was a lot of rubble around the entrance so we had to climb over and around it all. Jazz finally got frustrated and merely tossed the rubble pieces aside. The other Autobots did the same. It made things a lot quicker.

When we finally entered the building, I realized that it only had one chamber. It was a huge room with a _very_ high ceiling. The walls had faded designs painted onto them. There were no stairs or other doorways that led to other rooms. The only other doorway was straight across from where we entered. It led right back outside. There was nothing in here. It was completely empty. 'No,' I thought frantically. 'This can't be it. The Matrix. Where is it! It has to be here!'

"So...where is this Matrix?" Leo called out to me.

I looked around, muttering to myself, "It has to be here. It has to be here. It has to be here!"

"Has to be, huh?" Leo exclaimed angrily. I stopped and looked at him. My fists were shook as he went on. "Well, let me see." He whirled around once then faced me again. "Nope! It looks like there's no magical Matrix thing here!"

"No. It _is_ here!"I yelled.

"Then where is it? I can't see it. And I don't think your alien friends see it either."

"But, Jetfire said follow the..," Leo cut me off.

"Face it. He's just a crazy old pile of junk. You're just crazy. And I'm crazy for listening and believing your shit!"

"YO! Shut up, Leo!" Skids roared.

"Yeah! Leave her alone!" Mudflap added. The room was suddenly filled with angry shouting. The twins and Leo were raging at each other about the situation. Soon, Caitlin and Simmons both joined into the argument against Leo. Wheelie involved himself as well by calling Leo nasty names. I tried to block them out and continued to look around. My eyes settled on Jazz and Bumblebee. They looked completely miserable and a bit disappointed. Damn. They were doubting me. No. I have to prove to them that the Matrix is here. I have to!

I kept looking around. For anything. My eyes roamed around to every wall. Finally, my eyes settled on the very far wall. It had a very large crack on it and a piece missing. I slowly walked over to it. The closer I got the more I realized that there was no rock behind the wall. Only darkness.

"_There_," the six voices in my head whispered.

I ran over to the wall and tried to put my arm trough the hole. There really was nothing else behind the wall. I tried to break off little pieces of it down. Only little crumbles and dust came down. It continues for a few more minutes then got frustrated. I started to punch and kick the wall out of anger. My toes and knuckles got sore and stiff. I got bruises and scrapes along my knuckles as well.

As I sank down to my knees, I realized that the yelling has gotten louder. I looked and saw that Bumblebee and Jazz were yelling as well, but not at Leo. They were yelling at the twins. They probably said something really out of line.

Everyone was yelling. Everyone was angry and tired. I had to cover my ears. I had to keep this chaos out of myself. I knew that I shouldn't get caught up in this. This was not the time for this. Not at all.

"QUIET!" I screamed out. Everyone silenced themselves abruptly and stared at me. "Just, shut up. Alright? This is not the time for us to yell at each other nothing."

"Over nothing!" Leo exclaimed. "We're here for _no_ reason!"

"Shut up, will you!" Mudflap roared angrily.

"HEY! What the fuck did I _just _say!" I yelled out irritably. Silence again. "Now, before any of you yell out again, I found something."

Jazz and Bumblebee walked over to me and the wall. They looked a bit wary over my claim. Still doubtful, but hopefully not for long. Jazz came up to the wall while I moved away from it. He gently knocked on it. There was an odd hollow sound which gave Jazz a surprised expression.

"Yep, there's defiantly something there," Jazz said mildly.

Bumblebee then began to charge up his cannon as Jazz picked me up and moves away. My yellow guardian blasted the wall down. We all started into the dark cave that was hidden. I glanced back at Leo and grinning.

"There it is," I said. Leo blushed and lowered his head in shame. The twins snickered as well as Wheelie. Caitlin and Simmons walked over to us, smirking. Leo follows silently.

Jazz lowered me back down, glanced into the cave, then said, "I think it's a bit too small for us to get through."

"Small you for guys, maybe," I said with a smirk. "But for us humans, it's the perfect size."

"Yeah, we three won't have any trouble going in," Simmons added.

"Three?" Bee asked.

"The girls and I," Simmons grunted.

"What about me!" Wheelie asked just a tad sooner than Leo.

"You stay and keep watch with the other Autobots, Wheelie," I said, making Wheelie grumble in disappointment.

"Well...what about me?" Leo asked again.

"What _about_ you?" the twins shot back in unison.

"Yeah, you're been a complete jerk to Clare," Caitlin said angrily.

"You're been unhelpful, and not to mention a complete whiny little punk, throughout this mission," Simmons also added.

The arguments began to rise up again and I rolled my eyes. This was getting old and very annoying. Instead of trying to shut them up again, I climbed into the cave. I was somewhat surprised that Caitlin noticed and began to follow me along with Simmons. I assumed that Leo also followed, but I didn't really care. I was a bit too occupied.

As we went deeper into the cave, I realized that some of the walls weren't made of rock, but of metal. There were large jagged pieces of metal here and there. They were connected, almost like limbs. Skeletal limbs. Some chunks reminded me of ribs. I heard the others behind me murmur in aw. It really was kinda cool.

Caitlin suddenly let out a little shriek. I turned and saw her pointing at a very large lump of metal. It was really dark so it was hard to see exactly what it was. I walked closer to the object, staring intently at it. There_ was _something oddly familiar about it and the other pieces of metal. The longer I stared at it, I began to shape out different features like eyes and a mouth.

"A head," I whispered. I took a step back and looked at the entire head and realized that the head was shaped like a head piece. Similar to those of an Egyptian Pharaoh. I couldn't help but reach out and touch the head.

"_You found us_," a familiar voice whispered in my head. I jerked back my hand back. A quick vision appeared in my head. One I've already seen before.

_Six tall figures loomed over me. They were all robots and about Optimus' height. Except, they looked more ancient. Their head armor reminded me of an Egyptian pharaoh's headdress. Their bodies were thin and skeletal. _

I suddenly understood everything. The voices in my head, those skeletal robots with the Pharaoh-like headdresses. They were the six Primes. They were to ones who've been talking to me, giving me clues, helping me keep myself together.

My heart felt heavy with sadness. I didn't exactly know why and yet tears rolled down from my eyes. Maybe it was that they've been waiting for so long to be found, or that they died trying to protect the Matrix. Maybe both.

I gently ran my fingers over the frozen face of the dead Prime again.

"_You found us_," he whispered again in my head.

"Yeah," I whispered back, a faint smile forming on my own face. "I found you guys."

There was a faint warm feeling against his face. It reminded me of Optimus. The warm feeling slowly faded away. I took it as, this Prime was finally at peace. Good.

I continued on walking and was able to see other figures. I knew that they were the other five Primes. I went over to two of them and gently touched their faces. Both had that same fading warmth. Both also whispered something to me.

"_Young femme..._," one whispered to me. He sounded mildly happy.

"_The Matrix is near_," the other murmured.

I noticed that the last three Primes were in a more awkward position. They were huddled more closer together, guarding something; the Matrix. I tried to duck and climbs around to get through the three dead Primes. I didn't have to touch their faces to hear their voices.

"_You finally found us_."

"_Now the Matrix is yours_."

"_You are now the keeper of the Matrix of Leadership. You may use it to revive Optimus, our last descendant...when ready._"

"Yes," I answered back out loud. I finally made it to the middle. The three Primes' faces surrounded me, staring down at a little glowing object. It was oddly shaped, I could recognize the Cybertronian design to it along with the symbols of the language etched into it. There was a glowing orb in the middle of it. I knew at that moment that it was the Matrix.

"Clare?" someone called out. It was Simmons. I almost forgot that they were here.

"Right here!" I called back.

"Find anything?"

"Ohh yeah," I murmured and knelt down towards the Matrix. The ex-agent's head poked through the crowded bodies of the Primes. As did Caitlin's and Leo's.

"Who were they?" Caitlin asked quietly as she looked up at the dead Cybertronians.

"The Primes," I said. "The 6 Primes who hid the Matrix of Leadership from the Fallen. This is their tomb."

"Wow," Leo murmured in aw.

I cautiously scooped the Matrix up. It was a little longer than a foot and the two ends were really pointy. Didn't want to stab myself with them. It felt warm and light in my hands. There was lots of power and energy within it, but it didn't push out nor did it pull my energy in. The pale blue glowing orb was mesmerizing. Then, suddenly, a crack appeared on the metal. Then another much deeper one appeared. It sounded like grass fracturing as more appeared. The Matrix was breaking down. What the hell? I stared as the Matrix shattered completely in my hands and turned to silver dust. I went numb and I ran my hands through the glittery matter.

"No," I whispered. "No."

I helplessly looked up at the others, ready to cry my eyes out. Caitlin looked heart broken. Tears swelled from her eyes. Leo looked as confused as I was. Simmons looked...disappointed and sad. I didn't know if he was disappointed in me or the Matrix. He shook his head and murmured, "All that power...turned to dust."

"No," I said again and thought hard. "It's...it's not supposed to be this way."

"Face it, Clare," Simmons said gently. It took me a while to realize that he was actually calling me by my name. "It's over. We lost."

"No! We didn't lose. Not yet!" I pulled out my glove and began to scoop all of the dust into it.

"You can't bring him back with that," Caitlin whispered.

"Yes I can," I muttered. "The voices in my head, the Primes, they led me here for a reason. Not just to have the Matrix disintegrate in my hands." I began to ramble as I continued to carefully take up all the dust. "They believe in me. They said that the Matrix is mine and I can do anything I want with it...when I'm ready."

"So...you're not ready then?" Caitlin asked.

"Well...maybe not now. But...dammit I better be ready when they come!" I was getting a little frantic but I kept going. "I have to be ready when NEST comes. No. I _will_ be ready. We've come this far, Caitlin." I rolled up the glove filled with dust and stuffed it into my pocket. "Everyone is looking for me for what I know. I won't let the Decepticons win. This is going to work. I know it will."

"Clare, we've been through so much in the last few weeks. You've been right about all this. I believed you then, and I'm going to believe you know," Caitlin said, and smiled. Tears streamed down from her eyes, but she was smiling.

"You know what, kid," Simmons murmured. "I believe in you too."

Leo merely stared at me then said, "I...I think it'll work. You've been right this whole time...it'll work."

I smiled at them. A real smile. My heart felt a little happier that they were going to stay with me till the end.

"Clare!" I heard someone call out. It was Bumblebee. "We've got company!" His voice echoed throughout the tomb, so I couldn't tell if he was excited or nervous. I hope he was excited.

"Come on," I called out then ran out of the cave, cautiously jumping around the Primes' limbs and bodies. The others followed.

For a moment, it felt as if time slowed down. Thoughts popped up in my head. Negative thoughts. 'What if Megatron's here. What am I going to do if he is? Will Jazz, Bee, and the twins be able to hold him off? Or is NEST here? If they are, is the Matrix going to work? What if it doesn't work. What if it's really broken. What if I couldn't revive Optimus?' I kept thinking. Too many 'what ifs'. Way too many. I can't doubt myself now. We've come so far.

We finally made it out of the cave. Bumblebee, Jazz, and the twins were outside. We went out to see what was going on. Simmons ran passed be, holding his walkie talkie. When we were outside, Bumblebee turned to us. He looked a bit nervous. Damn.

"Ok, we've got good news and bad news," Bumblebee muttered.

"NEST is here along with the Decepticons," I said immediately.

"Yep! Well, they're not exactly here but they're _really _close." Jazz said.

"Good enough," Simmons muttered and spoke into his walkie talkie. I could faintly hear Epps's voice in the static.

I half listened to them as I looked off at the scenery. I could see the Pyramids far off towards the horizon.

"_Don't let the Matrix near the sun harvester_," one of the Primes whispered into my head. "_It will destroy your planet._"

I absently nodded. I looked back at Simmons, who was still talking into the walkie talkie. He was telling them to land here. 'No. Not here,' I thought. I didn't want anyone else disturbing the Prime's tomb. I did see a small town, though. It looked very old and deserted. It wasn't too close to the Pyramids either. Perfect.

"Simmons, tell Epps to go to that town over there," I said.

To my relief, Simmons did not protest. As he continued to talk, I continued to stare off at our surroundings. I suddenly felt numb. I felt him here: Megatron. That means the other Decepticons are either here already or are coming. But so is NEST. We have the Autobots and the military here to beat them down. And soon, we will have Optimus.

Suddenly, I heard loud jet engines overhead. I looked up and felt relief swell into my heart. There were two giant planes flying overhead. Military planes. NEST.


	24. Back Up

_Chapter 24 is FINALLY out! I know it's been a while guys but don't worry, I'm not going to abandon this story. I've been working on other stuff that I will post up after I'm done with this story. 'kay? Enjoy the chapter._

_Happy Reading/Writing!_

* * *

**Ironhide POV**

We were kept in the cabin of the military plane while we were flown to the NEST base. It was a very grim trip which made it seem excruciatingly long. No one spoke a word. The only sounds that were made was the engines of the plane and the distant human chatter in the pilot's cabin. We were all in our vehicle forms with thick netting draped over us. We could have easily taken the netting off. But we didn't. There really was no point in doing so.

Suddenly, there was a slight shift in the plane's movement. It felt as if it was descending down. 'Probably about to land, now,' I thought. But then, there was another shift and the plane felt as if it was cruising again. Odd. Then, suddenly, the plane's intercom came online and Lennox's voice was heard throughout the cabin.

"Autobots, William Galloway is overboard. I repeat, William Galloway is overboard," he said with a smile in his voice. He sounded as if he'd just been laughing about something. The news itself was very odd, not to mention random.

"Lennox...?" I asked hesitantly through the transmission. "What's going on? If this is a joke, I-" He cut me off.

"Ironhide, my good friend, we are in Egypt!" he called out cheerfully.

"EGYPT!" I roared. Even in vehicle form, all my fellow Autobots jerked slightly. All were clearly stunned by the news...and by my sudden outburst.

"Wait! What!" Arcee asked incredulously.

"Why are we in Egypt?" Flareup asked as well.

"What the frag!" Chromia added onto the questions.

"No wonder the flight was so slagging long," Jolt stated thoughtfully. I absently liked how nobody bothered to ask what exactly happened to Galloway. But, whatever did happen, thank Primus that it did.

Lennox began to explain to us about the phone call he had with Clare and about her plan about reviving Prime. Again, everyone, except me, was stunned. I let out a silent sigh. Clare called me before she called Lennox, asking us to come. I told her we couldn't help. The desperation in her voice nearly crushed my spark. However, we are now here in Egypt and ready to help her revive Prime.

"She...what?" Jolt asked Lennox. "How in spark's name is she going to do that?"

"Never mind, how!" I barked. "The point is, she can do it and she needs our help!"

"Yeah!" Chromia agreed enthusiastically

"The Decepticons are most likely already here and looking for her. We must hurry," Ratchet said sternly.

"Uh, sorry to interrupt your bickering," Lennox called out. "but we're ready to drop all of you."

"Drop? The plane isn't going to land?" Flareup asked curiously.

"Nope."

"Fine by me," I grunted and transformed. The netting easily ripped as my shape shifted which was a great satisfaction. I stood in my 'bot form and watched everyone else transform. They all looked relieved and equally satisfied while they sliced and tore through the flimsy restraints.

"It's best to be getting out of this plane," Ratchet muttered.

"Agreed," Sideswipe grunted.

The few soldiers that were in the plane with us attached parachutes onto us. I didn't know how far we were from the ground but having parachutes didn't hurt. It consumed a large amount of time, but it didn't hurt. Finally, we were ready to for the drop.

"Alright, Lennox," I said to him through the intercom. "We're ready to go down."

"So are we," he said. "Let us down, boys!" The plane's platform began to descend slowly, revealing the bright blue sky. The air whipped at my face plates. It was probably the first time, since being on this planet, that I have ever marveled the azure sky and it's clouds. It was refreshing.

Arcee, Chromia, and Flareup all rolled off the plane together, first. Next to go down were Jolt and Sideswipe. None of the younger 'bots hesitated to take the jump. Ratchet and I were last.

"Ready to take a leap of faith?" I mumbled to the medic.

"Ready when you are," he said softly. I let out a chuckle before leaping off of the plane with Ratchet following. For some reason, it felt like a release. While plummeting, I momentarily had no worries, no concerns, no problems. I felt slightly...happy. Almost free. I used to absently wonder, whenever I saw Megatron or another Decepticon fly by, how it felt to fly. Was it like this?

"Naw," I said out loud to myself. "This isn't flying. This is just falling. If Jazz were here, he'd be 'falling with style'."

"What are you mumbling about, Ironhide?" I heard Ratchet call out to me against the wind.

"Oh, uh, nothing," I muttered. "I hadn't realized that I was."

"You're still mumbling," he called out again.

I glanced back at him. He seemed like he was enjoying himself. He was even smiling. Ratchet smiling was a very rare thing. I looking back down at the others and watched the younger 'bots fool around. I couldn't help but smile. They were acting like younglings. The three femmes were flipping around through the air and laughing. Sideswipe was showing off by 'skating' through the air and Jolt pretended to surf. It was amusing until my frame suddenly jerked up. I realized that our parachutes have opened up.

We steadily drifted down to the sand covered earth. We were in the middle of a desert. There was a small town, which looked abandoned, very close to our location. Some rock formations and structures were also nearby. Just a few miles away. Also, far off, there were pyramids. The heat was much higher here than anywhere I have been on the planet thus far. It didn't bother me much.

We watched as the smaller members of our NEST team drifted down from the sky as well. I felt the tension settle in when Prime's limp frame also floated down. I sighed when the reality of war came back to mind. Optimus's body landed in the sand, creating a large cloud of dust around him. Our human teammates quickly surrounded him immediately after they landed. They started to cover him up with their parachutes. As they did, the Autobots and I went over. We were getting our weapon systems online while listening to Epps. He was speaking to someone through a walkie talkie. Even through all the static, the person he was talking to had a very familiar voice. Then I remembered who's it was. Sector 7 agent, Seymour Simmons. Oddly enough, I had missed him. He had an odd yet amusing sense of humor.

"So, what now?" Chromia asked me. That was a very good question.

"We wait for Clare...I guess," I answered.

"And if the Decepticons come?" Flareup inquired.

"We do what we always do."

"We kick their sorry afts. That's what we do!" Sideswipe blurted with a grin.

"I'm going to try and contact Jazz and Bumblebee," Ratchet mumbled to me, clearly back to his serious self. "You should try and call Clare," he added while placing a digit next to his audio sensor then went silent. I knew that he was trying to find and contact our scout and lieutenant's comlinks. A small smile suddenly formed on Ratchet's face plates. He managed to reach them. Good. While Ratchet quietly talked to our fellow Autobots, I tried to call Clare. I put my digit next to my sensor and went through the last signal she used to contact me. She didn't use her cell phone that time.

"Hello? Ironhide!" I finally heard her lovely voice.

"Clare," I murmured in relief. She made a sound that sounded like an excited squeal. I couldn't help but chuckle at that.

"We saw you drop down! It was so cool!"

"Yep, that was us. You got the Matrix...or whatever it was?" There was a pause.

"Uh...well, sort of." I frowned.

"What do you mean by 'sort of'?" I asked lowly.

"It...uh...kinda turned to dust."

"It...what?" I noticed that my tone was oddly calm. None of my usual outbursts. I didn't really know how to react to what she said. I merely sighed and said, "So, you can't bring Prime back."

"Ironhide, I can. I don't know how, exactly. But I can."

"Clare, are you sure about this?"

"Yes. Yes. Yes times a thousand. Yes!"

"Alright, alright! I get it." Suddenly, there was static in my com link. Something was cutting into our transmission.

"I...hide...you...ere?"

"Clare? Slag it. If you can hear me, hurry up and get down here. You hear me? Clare, hurry u-" The transmission ended before I could finish. I looked over at Epps then at Ratchet. They were both having trouble as well. Then, I heard something dash by overhead.

"It's Starscream!" Sideswipe roared. "He's blocking the transmissions!"

Instinctively, we all raised our weaponry and aimed at the jet. But, before any of us were able to fire, Megatron's voice boomed throughout the area.

"Decepticons, begin our assualt!"

I turned towards the direction his voice came from and saw him. He was on the top of one of the pyramids, far from my target range. At that moment, meteors began to plummet down from the sky. That was the signal that our battle has begun.

**Clare POV**

The moment I heard his voice, the coldness cam back to my heart. He was close. _Very_ close. I shivered at the mere thought of it. We couldn't do much more than watch the meteors crash down. There were twelve of them, plus Megatron, Starscream, and the Constructicons. The Constructicons were near the pyramids. To my amazement, they didn't transform. They began to combine together into a much larger robot. As awesome as it looked, I noticed that it was missing it's left leg.

"Devastator," Jazz growled darkly.

"Who?" I asked.

"The big guy. His name is Devastator," Jazz said, pointing to the giant legless Decepticon. He was limping his way towards the pyramids. "We have to move. What's the plan baby girl?"

"Uhm...," I started. I didn't know what to do or say. I was no leader. Not like Optimus. But then again, I've led them this far. The others stared at me, waiting for orders. I sucked in a deep breath, bringing in all my confidence, then said, "We split up. Jazz, you go down to NEST and help them. They're going to need it." Jazz grinned and gave me a quick nod, then transformed and sped off. I turned to the ex-agent."Simmons, you and Leo take the twins and..."

"Take out the big guy," Simmons interrupted and jerked a thumb towards Devastator. I must have given him an odd look because he went on. "Kid, I was part of Sector 7. That means the government, which also means huge destructive weapons unknown to mankind. All I need to do is call the nearest military vessel, ask for some _major_ assistance and voilà!"

"But, your walkie talkie doesn't work," Leo said, clearly trying to get out of the 'mission'. Simmons merely grinned and pulled out a larger walkie talkie from his back side.

"I'm prepared," he said. I smiled.

"Nice. Alright then, twins with Leo and Simmons. Get on it." Mudflap and Skids grinned at each other and pounded fists.

"Alright!" the green mech yelled.

"It's party time!" his twin called out as well. The two Autobots transformed in unison and flew open their doors.

"Wheelie, you go with them, alright?" I said to our smallest member.

"Whaaat? Why can't I be with you?" he asked and clung to my leg.

"Please, just go with them. Alright?" Wheelie grumbled something and climbed into Mudflap.

"I guess it's up to me," Simmons murmured to himself. "One man...out to save the world. One man!" He climbed into Mudflap as he continued to roar, "One man, saving the country who betrayed him!"

"Oh for the love of...stop saying that!" Leo yelled as he also climbed into Mudflap. "You're not alone! I'm right here!" The two continued to bicker with each other while Caitlin and I snickered.

"You two be nice to each other," I called out, smiling. "We're on a mission!" Simmons gave me a smart salute and grinned. The twins blasted their horns and sped off at full speed.

"And the three of us go to Optimus, right?" Bumblebee asked.

"Yup."

"On foot, or driving?"

"For now, we're going to drive down there. Fast. I don't know if or how bad things might go wrong with that plan, but if it does, you take Caitlin and go. Got it?"

"But, I'm..."

"I know, Bumblebee. You're my guardian, but I need you to keep her safe while I bring Optimus back." Bumblebee and Caitlin both gave me sad looks, that made my heart ache. It was like telling Bee about summer camp all over again. "Not forever, Bee," I said softly. "We're not splitting up forever." Bee nodded grimly. I felt as if we had a similar conversation before.

Bumblebee transformers and swung open his doors. Caitlin and I climbed in and Bee sped off. I could feel the sudden tension. I may have acted calm but I was damn terrified. My heart was pounding and my throat was tight. My hands were sweating and gripping hard on Bee's steering wheel.

"_Do not fear, young one_," a Prime whispered in my head. "_You must be strong. There is danger coming your way._" I jerked my gaze up into the sky and gasped. Starscream flew passed us, but he left us a little gift. His missiles were coming down right at us.

"SHIT!" I yelled and swerved Bumblebee before he could do anything. The Camaro's entire body jerked and swerved as I forced him to dodge the attack. The tires screeched at the sudden change in direction. Caitlin let out a startled shriek while Bumblebee cursed. "Hold on!" I yelled out and continued to dodge Starscream's attacks. Bumblebee, who was completely startled by me taking the wheel, was frantically blabbering orders a t me.

"Go right! _RIGHT!_ No. Go left now! _Turn the wheel back_!"

"I _know_ how to drive, Bumblebee!" I snapped as I tried to follow his directions. My patience with Starscream's attacks and Bumblebee's yelling quickly ran out. I firmly held the wheel and floored the gas pedal. Our bodies jerked back as the Camaro's jerked forward at such a speed and force that I gasped. Bee bolted out of Starscream's target range, going over 80 miles per hour and still faster. I kept my foot on the gas pedal and still gripped onto the wheel for dear life. We were closing in on the abandoned town.

"Clare, you can ease up in my pedal," Bee said gently despite going now over 100 miles per hour.

"Oh. R-right...," I stammered and finally took my foot off the break. The Camaro immediately slowed himself down, and we cruised into the town then stopped.

Caitlin stumbled out while I stayed where I was in the driver's seat, shaking. I was sweating hard. My heart was pounding as if it was trying to break out of my chest.

"This might be a bad time to say it but, those were some pretty good reflexes there," Bee said thoughtfully.

"Thanks," I uttered. "We'll get moving in a second. I just need to get the adrenaline rush down."

I sucked in as many deeps breaths as I could so I could calm myself down. Adrenaline rushes are useful but they could tire a person out pretty quickly. And being tired would not be good. At least Starscream was out of site. For now.

**Starscream POV**

The puny yellow Autobot had disappeared from my target range. He drove off into the small town with the girl. The large cloud of dust he made while speeding up also gave me trouble in detecting him. I couldn't see him so I merely soared right passed the town. Megatron will not be pleased, as usual. He was in a horrific mood already and giving him _any_ bad news could be fatal to me. But then, my comlink suddenly came online and Megatron's voice filled my processor. Wonderful.

"_Starscream. Did you fine my human?_"he asked. His voice was so soft that it was haunting.

"_No. Well, yes. I have but the Autobot scout managed to escape with her,_" I answered. There was silence. Slag.

"_Well then, find them again. Kill the Autobot and bring my human to me,_" he breathed out. He was really losing it. "_I want her._" His voice shook as he uttered that last sentence then the connection broke off. I became somewhat concerned for Megatron's well being for a moment. But it didn't last very long.

I tilted my frame slightly, and changed the direction I was flying in. I decided to idly fly around and watch what was going on. The humans and Autobots have already started their battle against our protoforms. By numbers, the protoforms might have been out numbered but not by firepower. The Autobot lieutenant, designated: Jazz, has also joined in the battle. Great. More Autobots to kill off.

As I flew towards the pyramids, I saw those obnoxious twin Autobots speeding towards them as well. I also saw Devastator limping towards the primitive yet geometric structures. Rampage wasn't in his place as Devastator's left hind servo. I knew that he was in the little town, waiting for my orders to spring the trap on the human. He still had her pathetic little family.

Surely the girl would not like to have her family die. She would hand herself over easily. 'So there's nothing for me to worry about,' I thought to myself but then saw Megatron. He was still perched on top of one of the pyramids, staring at me, and I was coming right towards him. I quickly tilted my frame again and turned around. 'Maybe I should go check on how the trap is going,' I thought frantically and zoomed back to the town.

I got a glimpse of Ravage slinking into the town. 'He would be a nice backup if things go wrong, which they won't,' I thought. My plan was perfect and it couldn't be ruined. The human _will_ turn herself in for her family to be safe. It just _has _to work. I passed the town and realized that the human femme was running. She was with another human. The same femme she was with when I attacked the education center a few Earth years ago. The yellow Autobot was nowhere in sight. Frag! This was not good. But, then again, Rampage and Ravage were still there. I was pretty sure that they could take care of that puny Autobot. I felt a little more relaxed as the humans got closer to Rampage's location. I finally contacted him through his comlink.

"_Rampage. Spring the Trap._"


	25. Wins and Loses

_Chapter 25 up and ready for reading! Yay! I updated quickly this time but sadly it's a shorter chapter. Just a little warning, the end of this chapter is a bit dark and a little sad. So be prepared!_

_Happy reading/writing y'all!_

* * *

**Clare POV**

Caitlin and I ran through the small abandoned town. Bumblebee decided to run ahead to see if there were any Decepticons around. The problem was, I couldn't see or hear him anywhere. He's a giant yellow robot. How could I not have seen him anywhere? I had to keep encouraging myself that he was just well hidden and not killed. The sounds of bombs and bullets were far from us but they were still loud and powerful enough to shake me to the core. There was a battle just passed the town and I was heading right towards it all. I wouldn't been surprised if we ran right into a Decepticon.

My friend was right behind me. She was doing her best to follow my lead even though she was the better runner. I glanced back at her and saw that she was sweating. Hard. So was I. We were, after all, in a desert. A place that's dry and hot. But it's much worse when you're running your ass off while wearing sweaters and jeans.

Without actually thinking about it, I dove into the nearest building. When I glanced back, I saw Caitlin run passed. Moments later, she came right back.

"Trying to give me the slip, huh?" she panted. I couldn't tell if she was joking or not. I didn't really mind it. Instead of answering her, I took off my jacket and stuffed the dust filled glove and cell phone into my jean pockets. Caitlin gave me an odd look.

"Way too hot," I said. "Won't be able to last long with it on." Caitlin nodded and took the sweatshirt Simmons gave to her off.

"Better to get a few sunburns then die from the heat, right?" She said with a smirk.

"Now you're talking."

After a few moments of us trying to cool down as much as we could, I peeked out. I froze when I saw a red bulldozer slowly creeping up. Rampage.

"Oh boy," I whispered. "The cavalry is here."

Rampage stopped moving and I held my breath. He must have seen us. Shit. This was bad. I didn't know where Bumblebee was and a Decepticon was right there. Suddenly, his scoop opened up and two people shot out of it. Two women. I stared at them. They looked familiar.

"Mom? Anna?" I whispered.

"Ohhh, snap," I heard Caitlin mutter beside me. I watched in horror as Rampage transformed and loomed menacingly over my family. Anna held onto our mother, who shrieked at Rampage's presence. I saw a grin on the Decepticon's face which pissed me off.

"No!" I yelled and ran out towards them. "You leave them alone!"

"Clare! Stop!" I heard Caitlin's futile calls. I knew that she followed me but at the moment, I didn't care. I was _pissed_. I wasn't going to let that big red bastard hurt my family more than he already did.

"Clare!" Anna yelled when she saw me. My mom's gaze jerked towards my direction. I saw tears brimmed from her terrified eyes.

"Oh God. My baby. You're alive!" she whimpered and attempted to reach for me.

Rampage watched me in amusement as I stepped in front of Anna and mom. Caitlin grabbed my arm and yelled at me frantically. I wasn't paying attention to what she was saying. I merely glared up at Rampage. The bulldozer snickered and used his arms to move closer to us, swinging his snake-like lower body at us. Mom, Caitlin, and Anna all dropped to the ground and shrieked. I staggered back a bit but I kept my angry eyes on him. He then swung his fists over my head. I ducked this time and heard him chuckle. He was having fun watching the four of us squirm. I noticed that he began to reach for Anna.

"Whoa! Whoa!" I yelled and held my hands up in surrender. "You want me, right?"

"Clare Roberts," Rampage uttered throatily.

"Yup. That's me."

"C-clare? What are you doing?" mom squeaked.

"Quiet, mom," I snapped without looking at her, then calmly said to Rampage, "They're not the ones you want." I began to side-step away from the three women. The Decepticon's piercing red eyes followed me, which was good.

"Don't leave," Anna sobbed. I saw her reach out towards me from the corner of my eye. Rampage snarled and jerked his gaze at her.

"Run, Clare! They're going to kill us all either way!" my mother cried out. I ignored them both.

"Rampage!" I yelled and pulled the stuffed glove out from my pocket. "I have the Matrix right here. Want it?" Rampage looked back at me and I continued to slowly move away. Rampage let out a low growl and lunged at me. I stumbled down and fell onto my back as the red mech towered over me. I ignored the cries of the others and kept my hands up, waving the glove back and forth. "I'm right here, Rampage. And I have the Matrix of Leadership."

Suddenly, from the corner of my eye, I saw something yellow. I had to keep myself from grinning like an idiot. I slowly got up and continued to scoot as far away from my family and friend as I possibly could. I watched Bee move into position as I kept talking to the clueless Decepticon.

"Don't pay attention to them. I'm the one you guys are looking for." Bee gave me a thumbs up. Finally, with all my might, I screamed, "BUMBLEBEE!"

Immediately, Bee lunged out at Rampage and slammed him face down. I force of the impact knocked me back down. I scrambled away from the two mechs and growled, "Kill him, Bee. Kill him."

Just as Bumblebee hopped off of the Decepticon, Rampage scrambled back until his back hit the buildings. Bee charged at him, fists ready for pounding. But, before he managed to hit Rampage, the red mech used the structure behind him to lift himself up and dive his bottom drill-like half into Bee. My guardian easily dodged as he continued to attack him. Bee's arm transformed into his cannon and he blasted one of the building's roof off, making Rampage tumbled down. But the Bulldozer didn't stay down long. He immediately got up and tried to jump onto the Autobot, but failed when Bee evaded him.

The yellow mech may be smaller but he was much faster. He dodged every one of Rampage's flying fists and clipped an upper cut right into his chin. The red 'con fell on to his back. Right when he rolled over, Bumblebee pounced right onto him. The Decepticon tried to reach back and knock Bee off. My guardian's cannon transformed back into an arm, then he merely grabbed one of Rampage's flailing limbs and twisted it until there was a metallic crunching sound. The red mech cried out in pain.

The rage I was feeling in my heart slowly drifted away as Bumblebee beat down Rampage. But, I could see the fury in his blue eyes. He was not going to be merciful to Rampage, that's for sure.

The Autobot stomped down on the Decepticon's back, making him go limp. I knew that Rampage was still alive though. His red eyes were still on. Bee stepped off of the Decepticon, but was immediately attacked by Ravage who jumped onto him from behind.

"No! Bumblebee!" I cried out as the robotic cat climbed around his body and tore his armor off. I heard the Autobot let out a little growl, something I've never heard him do before. I watched as he grabbed Ravage's tail and swiftly stripped his body off his spine.

Rampage was slowly hoisting himself up behind the yellow 'bot, who whirled around and smacked him with Ravage's spine/tail remains. My guardian again began to pummel the Decepticon down to the ground. After one brutal knee to the face, Rampage's head flew back, completely tearing the cords and wiring that held it to his body. The red mech collapsed to the ground and didn't get back up.

I stared at Bee, almost not realizing the Caitlin, Anna, and my mom were all huddled next to me. I slowly stood up and went over to my Autobot guardian. Bumblebee's battle mask went up as he turned and looked at me.

"Are you...alright?" I asked with a slight quiver in my voice.

"Yeah!" Bee said triumphantly and scooped me up. He brought me to his chest and held me as I pressed against him. I wanted to cry but I knew that this wasn't the time for it.

"Clare Roberts! You get down from there! We need to get the hell out of here!" my mother yelled. Suddenly, rubble began to shower down around us as parts of the building exploded. Shit. Bee's fight brought a lot of attention here. My sister and mother both screeched when Caitlin shoved them down for cover. Bee quickly put me back down and shot back at the nearest Decepticon, which was one of the constructicons. 'The hell?' I thought. 'They must separated.'

"Bumblebee, you take them and go. No arguments. Understand?" I ordered. Before Bee could try to argue back, mom grabbed me by my shoulders and shook me hard.

"No! We're going together. We are ALL going together. You understand!" she blubbered.

"Mom, I can't leave. I have to do this."

"NO! You're my daughter! My baby!"

"Mama," I murmured calmly. "I have to do this. Bumblebee will keep you safe. I promise."

"Mom," Anna said gently. "Mom, let her go." Our mom finally let go of my after Anna tried to pry her off of me. Caitlin and Anna both helped mom into Bumblebee, who already transformed into his Camaro self. My older sister gave me a quick but tight hug before climbing in as well. Then my yellow car drove off at full speed.

"Bye, Bee," I whispered. "Please take care of them."

"He will," Caitlin murmured.

"I know," I said then immediately ran off in the opposite direction Bee went with Caitlin at my heels. We were getting really close.

**Ironhide POV**

"Jazz!" I roared over the racket from the battle. "Were in the fragging world is Clare!"

"She's coming!" I heard our lieutenant yell back. "I know she is!"

I ducked from flying bullets and crouched behind pieces of rubble. I aimed both of my cannons at the Decepticons that were a bit farther off, beyond the humans' weapon range. Half of myself was still out in the open, though, but I didn't really care at that moment. All I wanted was Clare to get her tiny aft to get here. Though, I also really wanted to blast all of these 'cons into the pit as well. But didn't the rest of us?

I saw Lennox dive behind the same rubble pieces I was crouching behind. Thankfully, for him, it gave him a better cover than it did for me. He looked a bit exhausted and agitated.

"This isn't going too well," I heard him mutter. "That girl needs to get here, like, now."

I grumbled in agreement to myself as I blasted at one of the Decepticon protoforms and blew his legs off. Sideswipe immediately skated out towards the fallen 'con, blades extended, and ran him through.

"We should have a scout go out and meet her just in case she's in trouble," Lennox said to me. "I know Jazz mentioned that Bumblebee was with her but it doesn't hurt to be careful."

"I will meet her," I mumbled.

"You sure you wanna go by yourself? I mean, I could sent Epps and a few of my men with you."

"I will not go alone," I growled as I transformed and drove off. I managed to dodge every attack Decepticons bothered to throw at me. I needed back-up and I knew who to ask. My comlink came online. The transmission Starscream attempted to scramble was clearly temporary. Thank Primus, I was able to contact our three femmes.

They all answered at once, which was common for them to do. They're minds think alike most of the time, as if they're linked to each other. I told them to come with me to meet up with Clare. They agreed to come without argument. Well, Arcee and Flareup did. Chromia wanted to continue blasting more Decepticons away. Understandable.

Just moments after I turned my comlink off, the three motorcycles rolled up and surrounded me. They transformed to their 'bot forms and followed me as I drove off at a faster speed. We headed towards the small abandoned town, avoiding, rubble, bullets, and the Decepticons themselves. My comlink suddenly picked up another transmission and turned on. It was Skids.

"_Yo, 'Hide? Still online?_"he yelled.

"_What is it now, youngling_?" I growled as I bulldozed right into a smaller Decepticon protoform and tore right through him.

"_There are a few Constructicons coming your way. Fast_."

"_Constructicons? Shouldn't they be destroying the pyramid as Devastator?_"

"_Well, they were. Devastator sucked up most of the top part of it. They kinda stopped when our human agent here broke them apart. Well he didn't break them. He got his friends who have big ships and big guns to._"

"_They all survived?_"

"_Nope! One offlined, but the others drove off. Thank Primus that it was the biggest one the's dead!"_

"_What are you and Mudflap doing now?_"

"_Uhhm...nuthin'?_"

"_Well then, both of you get your afts over here and do something!_"

"_Sure thing, rusty bo-_" I heard an explosion on Skids' side and the transmission went fuzzy. But it didn't disappear.

"_Skids? Do you copy?_"

"_Gah! Megatron!_" I heard him yell. Frag it!

"_Skids, retreat from that area. You and Mudflap take the humans and leave! Do not engage combat with Megatron. Do you understand!_"

"_I'm gonna blast ya all the way up to Cybertron, ya freak!_" he yelled, as if he didn't hear me. There were more explosions and gun fire. Slag! His link was most likely damaged from the blast. I could hear him but he couldn't hear me. And he was against Megatron!

I skidded to a halt, forgetting that the femmes were still around be. Chromia slammed right into me from behind. I didn't give a damn.

"_Skids. Skids! SKIDS!_" I yelled both into the link and out loud.

"Ironhide! What the frag!" I faintly heard Chromia yell. The blasts and Skids' yelling drowned her voice out. There was some more static then a wail.

"_No, Mudflap! NO!_" Skids yelled.

"No," I whispered. "No, Primus. No more. Not now. Please."

"Ironhide?" Arcee's voice asked softly. I felt someone place a servo against my door. But I could still hear Skids' angry cries.

"_My twin! Ya killed my twin!_" he screamed with pain in his vocals.

"_Skids, STOP!_" I yelled helplessly.

He made a choking sound then, in a strained voice, he said, "_Ya'll gonna lose this war, Megs. Clare'll bring Prime back and he's gonna kick your aft. Ya got that? Kick. Your. Af-_"There was another blast, static, then complete silence.

"Mudflap. Skids." I whispered. My entire frame was trembling. We lost two in a matter of minutes.

"Ironhide," Flareup said gently. "Talk to us."

"Th twins were...offlined by Megatron," I snarled.

"No...," Flareup whispered. Arcee lowered her head mournfully, and Chromia growling angrily to herself.

"Now is not the time to mourn!" I snapped, making them all jump. "This is war, and we need to stay focused." I transformed and turned my weapon systems on. "Understand?"

"Yes!" the femmes said together. They suddenly tensed. I looked at what they were staring out. I let out a vicious growl as I saw a hideous green dump truck driving up towards us. Long Haul.

"Time to kick some _major_ aft," I snarled and aimed both of my cannons at the Constructicon.


	26. From Dust to Matrix

_Chapter 26 up and ready for reading! It's the part that nearly everyone has been waiting for! Hope you enjoy it. I can feel the ending coming up in a few more chapters. lol _

_That reminds me, I have made a poll regarding writing a third story about Clare Roberts for those who don't know. Check out my page and vote! ;)_

_Anyway, hope you enjoy the chapter!_

_Happy reading/writing!  
_

* * *

**Clare POV**

I could see the familiar yellow/green medic far off in the ruins. Most of the structures around the battle field were either knocked over or blasted into pieces of rubble. Missiles and bullets

were visible in the air, flying back and forth. From where we were, I could tell that we just had around a mile to go. Caitlin and I were drenched in sweat and panting hard. We needed to stop and take a moment to catch our breaths. I absently ran my hand over my pocket, making sure that the dust filled glove was still there. Thankfully, it was.

Suddenly, I was hit with a chilling feeling. It ran down my spine and made the hairs on the back of my neck stand. I was cold. Severely cold.

"_My pet_," I heard him whisper. "_I finally found you_." A flash back then hit me like a ton of bricks.

_The silver grotesque Decepticon blasted at the green mech, while he was distracted. His rust colored twin immediately started to shoot back at the much larger mech. The green Autobot joined in as well. Both were yelling insults at the silver mech, who merely shot back at them with his canon. The twin Autobots tried their best to evade tyrant's attacks as he came closer to them. The twins were being reckless, getting close to him for an attack then backing away immediately. However, when the rust colored mech came close, the war lord grabbed him in an unyielding grip. He grinned sadistically as he tore his limbs off._

"_No! Mudflap! No!" the green mech screamed. The warlord threw the nearly offlined 'bot to the ground. He pointed his now transformed arm canon at him while his red eyes looked at the green mech. He smirked then blasted the mech's head off. The green mech began to scream and blindly shoot at the silver mech, missing each time. The Decepticon, on the other hand, managed to hit the green mech with each and every one of his own blasts. He stalked over to the fallen 'bot and lifted him up. "Ya'll gonna lose this war, Megs. Clare'll bring Prime back and he's gonna kick your aft. Ya got that? Kick. Your. Af-"_ _the green mech managed to snarl before_ _his spark was torn out._

"Clare? Clare!" Caitlin's voice brought me back. I realized that I was on my knees. Caitlin was staring at me, looking scared. "Are you ok? Should we rest for a while?"

"No," I croaked. My mouth was dry and I was shivering. Caitlin touched my cheek and gasped.

"Geez! You're so cold!" I smacked her hand away and grabbed her by her shoulders.

"Caitlin, listen to me. Just run. Find a place to hide. You'll be safer without me. Just keep away from any Decepticons. Got it? Do you understand?" I took out my phone and shoved it into her hand. "When you're far away enough, call Bee. He'll drive back and pick you up."

"C-Clare, you're starting to scare me..."

"Run! Now!"

Without saying another word, Caitlin ran off. I watched her run, fighting the urge to run myself. But, at this point, it was useless. He was right behind me. Megatron found me. The roar of his odd sounding engines filled my ears then the familiar metallic clanking. When he landed, a large cloud of sand surrounded us.

"My pet," he breathed. The fear came crashing back into my heart. "I finally found you." I felt pathetic as his voice wrapped around me. It made my knees feel weak.

His talons brushed against my back, which made me whimper. My body reacted without me thinking. I leaned into his touch. His sharp fingers wrapped around me. He uttered a low possessive growl and lifted me up.

"N-no...," I whimpered as he brought me up to his face and stared at me. The tips of his talons caressed my body. To my dismay, a moan escaped from my mouth.

"There," Megatron murmured. "I knew that you loved this." His talon hooked into my shirt and lifted it up, revealing my belly to him. I didn't move. I couldn't. There was nothing I could do. I was helpless to him again. Like before.

He brought his face closer. His silver tongue slithered out from between his rows of jagged teeth. I held my breath as he ran it over my skin. The cold yet soft feeling of it was maddening. I could feel his need from the light flicks of his tongue on my belly. I couldn't help but breath in the cool air that came from his mouth. It was...overwhelming.

"You want more," he whispered and pressed his rough metal lips onto my stomach. "You want me."

"Yes," I whimpered helplessly. I didn't know if I really did though, or if I just thought it. Did I, just because he assumed it?

"We shall play after my 'Master' finishes with his business. Is that clear?" he asked in a more composed tone. I nodded. "Good. Now, because of some...interference, I did not know how you managed to get here. Nor do I know what you were doing. However, since I _do_ know that the Matrix is here, I assume that you are here to take it. Am I correct?"

I didn't answer. After he said Matrix I just stopped listening. I suddenly remembered why I was here. Optimus. I was here for Optimus. Not for Megatron.

"Well?" he snarled impatiently and squeezed me.

"Gah! Y-yes. Yes!" I cried out. He released the pressure. 'That's right,' I thought. 'He'll keep hurting me. No matter how he feels about me, he will still hurt me.'

"You have it, don't you?" I didn't answer. "Don't you?" he pressed and squeezes again. I clenched my teeth. "Answer me!" he snapped.

"I'm not giving it to you," I whispered. He stared at me, looking a bit stunned.

"Yes you will, my pet," he said gutturally. With or without the bond, I could tell that he was getting angry. Very angry. But, I found myself not caring. I was here on a mission. To fulfil my destiny. To save Optimus. To save my love.

"No. It's _my_ Matrix of Leadership and I will use it to bring Optimus back," I said with more strength in my voice. I remembered Mudflap and Skids. I remembered how he brutally murdered them. "And you know what, Megatron?" I added. "He's going to KICK YOUR AFT!"

The Decepticon leader snarled and slammed my body into the ground. It would have hurt more if the ground was solid instead of sand, but the dust from the impact didn't help. I sucked in the sand and began to have a coughing fit while Megatron yelled at me.

"You choose _him_ over me!" he roared.

"I will always choose him over you. I love him and I _hate_ you!" I managed to yell back after coughing. Familiar energy started to build up in my arm. It was comforting and it warmed my body up. I saw Megatron's red gaze narrow down to my arm, but it was too late. I released the burst of energy into him, giving him a good shock.

"Gah!" Megatron cried out and let go of me.

I immediately staggered to my feet and ran towards where the battle was taking place. I heard the Primes whisper something in my head but I was too busy running to really listen to them. On top of all that, there was something poking at my hip. I ignored it because Megatron began to come after me.

"Clare!" I heard a voice I knew too well. "Duck!" I dove into the sand without hesitation. Something huge and green flew over me and crashed into Megatron. I looked back and recognized the green 'con as Long Haul. He wasn't moving and there were large pieces of him missing as if they were blown off.

"Finally found you," the weapon specialist grumbled. I looked up at the black buff mech and stared as if it was the first time I've ever seen him. I was overcome with relief and complete aw.

"You...threw Long Haul," was the only thing that came out from my mouth. To my surprise, Ironhide chuckled.

Arcee rolled up to me and helped me to my feet. She looked relieved yet slightly exhausted, which was understandable. Chromia and Flareup also rolled up as well. They had their weapons aimed at Megatron.

"Follow us. We'll take you to Optimus," Flareup said softly. I nodded.

"Do you have the Matrix, thing?" Ironhide asked, also aiming his own cannons at Megatron. The Decepticon leader was struggling to get out from unto the dead Long Haul. It was kind of funny watching him thrash around.

"Yeah, I got it," I said and touched my pocket. It was ripped open. "Oh...SHIT!" I looked at the glove, which was on the ground. It was also ripped open. I could see the sparkling trail of the silver dust behind me. It was mixed into the sand. "No. NO!" I dropped down to my knees. "No! No! No! No! This..this can't be it! Primes! Primes! Help me!"

"Move, Clare!" Ironhide yelled and gently pushed me aside. He fired his cannons. I jumped a bit each time he did. It was just so loud.

"Give me the Matrix, girl!" Megatron growled as his arm transformed into his claw-cannon. He came at me despite being shot at the others.

"No. Get away!" I cried out.

"You're mine," he whispered as he reached for me.

"No. I'm. NOT!" I snapped and grabbed onto his talon. Another burst of energy suddenly built up in my arm and, again, shot into the silver mech. Megatron jerked away, literally stunning him.

"Whoa," I heard Chromia mutter. I wasn't paying attention to her or the others though. My arm was throbbing hard. There was still some energy left from the shock and it was building up again.

"_Young human from Earth_," a Prime whispered.

"_You have fought long and hard_."

"_We have agreed that you are ready_." The silver dust glowed and began to move towards me as if I was a magnet. Everyone, including Megatron, watched as the dust flew up and into my hand. It swirled around, creating a clump and formed into the Matrix of Leadership.

"_We present to you, the Matrix of Leadership._"

"_Go now._"

"_And Revive our last descendant._"

I stared at the Matrix, completely dumbfounded. Without even looking at the others, I knew that they were too. The three motorcycles crowded around me like little kids and stared at the Matrix.

"Holy...," Ironhide breathed. "So that's the Matrix?" I merely nodded stupidly. Suddenly, Megatron lunged towards me again. Ironhide quickly scooped me up and jumped out of the way, causing Megatron to fall face first into the sand. The weapon specialist aimed a cannon at the silver mech, while the femmes surrounded the 'con. "Girl, you better run with all your might and bring Prime back with that thing," he mumbled as he took a few steps back to a safer distance. The moment Megatron got up, he aimed his cannon at Flareup and blasted her away. Arcee and Chromia started shooting at him as he charged towards us.

"GIVE HER TO ME!" he roared. The madness in his red eyes was so distinct it made me cringe a bit. Then, out of nowhere, a familiar black jet appears and flies right into Megatron.

"What the frag was that!" Ironhide exclaimed. A huge smile spread across my face.

"Jetfire!" I yelled happily.

The Blackbird immediately flew away in a clumsy manner, circled the area once, then headed back down towards us. He transformed in midair in a remarkably faster time then he did before. Though, it didn't seem fast enough since he crashed face first into the sand, did a somersault, and stood back up on his feet. But he didn't waste any time when it came to fighting. With his cane in hand, wielding it like a sword, he charged up to Megatron as best as he could and tried to cut him down. Megatron grunted in pain as Jetfire's first few attacks sliced deeply into his chest. To my amazement, the ancient mech managed to knock Megatron over.

"This is how we gave the pain in my day!" he snarled and kicked at the injured Decepticon. The ex-con looked at Ironhide and growled, "What are you doing standing over there like that? Watching the clouds float by! You should be putting that lass down and help me blast this Decepticon away, youngling!"

"Youngling!" Ironhide retorted, clearly appalled. He grumbled something as he set me down then cocked his cannons.

"Easy, Ironhide," I said. "Just aim at Megatron, not Jetfire. Got it?"

He nodded then muttered, "He called me a youngling."

"Hey, he's older than you...I think."

"Go now, lass!" Jetfire roared. He was suddenly on the ground now, seemingly injured. Megatron was on his feet and looking right at me, baring his teeth.

"Be careful," I whispered then ran away from their battle. "Don't die. Don't die. Please, don't die." I panted over and over to myself and clenched onto the Matrix. As I headed towards a pile of rubble, I saw Lennox crouched down behind it. He looked at me then motioned me over. I sprinted over to him, trying to avoid running into fallen rubble. The moment I was near him, Lennox grabbed my arm and pulled me down next to him.

"You better have a pretty good reason for bringing my men out here," he growled, eyeing a Decepticon nearby. In response, I merely held up the glowing Matrix of Leadership to him. When he looked at it, his eyes widened. "What-"

"No time. Where's Optimus?" I interrupted. He stared at me for a moment then pointed to a large figure covered in sheets. Optimus.

I glanced back at Lennox. The soldier was shooting at the same Decepticon he was watching. I recognized him. It was Mixmaster. Great. He was right on the other side of the rubble we were hiding behind. Before I was able to do anything, Epps ran up and shoved me down.

"Get down!" he yelled and also shot at the Constructicon. The loud blasts and gunshots were deafening. It made it almost impossible to hear anyone's orders.

"Let go! I have to get to Optimus!" I yelled and tried to pull away from Epps' unyielding grin.

"Not yet, kid! It's way too dangerous," he yelled back.

"Behold the glory of Jetfire!" the black jet suddenly roared as he sprinted up and sliced Mixmaster in half. Then he mercilessly stomped on the 'con's head like he was nothing more than an insect. "Go, Lass," he said almost gently though he was panting hard. I could see the damage done by Megatron. It wasn't pretty especially with his already worn and rusted body.

Both Epps and Lennox were stunned to see Jetfire slaughter Mixmaster like that. I took the chance and pulled completely away from the soldiers. Optimus was so close. closer I got, the more I began to realize that the sheets were parachutes. The dry breeze lifted part of the sheets, revealing his blue and red paint job. The

"_Young female_!" a Prime yelled so loudly in my head that I had to stop and unconsciously cover my ears. "_Hurry! He's here! The Fallen is he_-" He stopped talking when a large figure suddenly appeared in front of me. It was robotic. Tall and thin like a skeleton with a head resembling an Egyptian pharaoh's headdress. Just like the...Primes.

"F-Fallen," I whispered and took a step back. The Fallen stared down at me with cruel blood red eyes. He bared his uneven teeth in disgust when his gaze settled down to my hand. I knew that he detested humans, and seeing me, a human, holding the Matrix must have really pissed him off.

Ratchet suddenly sprinted up and tackled the Fallen. Jolt followed suite and tried to hold him down. Neither looked at me or said a word. They didn't have to. The second the Fallen hit the ground, I ran again. To my great dismay, the Fallen appeared in front of me yet again. This time, though, I didn't stop. I sprinted right between his legs.

"Give me my Matrix, you disgusting flesh creature!" he roared in an odd raspy voice. Then I heard a loud crash. I didn't turn around to see.

"Go, Lass!" Jetfire cried out desperately. "Don't look back! Just get to your Prime!"

"My Prime," I panted as I nearly ran right into Optimus' dead body. I grabbed onto the parachute sheets and frantically pulled at them. "Get off. Get off," I chanted almost madly. I went as far as use the Matrix to tear into the damn things just to get to my Optimus. I managed to pull off one of the parachutes. The one that covered his head and chest. I couldn't help but stare at him for a moment.

A large blast caught my attention. I whirled around and saw Jetfire on the ground. Oil and energon was spilling out of a devastating wound in his stomach and staining the sand beneath him. The Fallen stared down at him, grinning sadistically.

"Little traitor," he snarled at Jetfire and stomped on his back. Jetfire cried out in pain.

Anger suddenly pumped through my blood as energy began to build up in my arm again. This bastard needed to die. Now.

I started to climb up Optimus. My legs were so sore, they might as well fall off. My entire body was hot and sweaty. My breathing came out as desperate rasps. Hell, to sum it up, I was dead tired. But, all that didn't matter. I had Optimus. Right here. In front of me. And I had the Matrix of Leadership in my hand.

The moment I got onto his chest, my legs gave out completely. Everything seemed to be in slow motion. I dragged myself to the middle of his torso, right over his spark chamber. The Primes were whispering indistinctively, almost chanting in their language. With my arm still throbbing from the energy, my hands grasped the Matrix of Leader. I lifted it over my head, as if it was a dagger. Someone yelled Optimus' name as I plunged the Matrix into his spark chamber. It was me.

The energy ball withing the Matrix disappeared for a split second then reappeared when a power shock bursted through me and into Optimus. His body jerked slightly and his familiar blue eyes turned back on. I felt his odd warmth beneath me. I felt it...inside of me. Something had entered me, and it was comforting me. It was such a familiar feeling. It was just...him. Just Optimus. I could feel him, in me. Around me. With me. And I loved it.

Distant voices began to surround us. I couldn't understand what everyone was saying nor did I really cared. All I knew was some sounded amazed while others sounded enraged. They didn't matter to me. All that mattered was Optimus. My Optimus Prime.

"C-Clare?" he whispered after he coughed up a cloud of dust and sand. His hand trembled slightly as he lifted it up and touched me. Tears were streaming down my dirty face..

"_The Fallen!_" the Primes yelled suddenly. Before I managed to react he appeared right next to us.

"How disgusting," his snarled coldly. I forced myself to look up into the Fallen's cold crimson eyes.


	27. The True Prime

_Hey chapter 27! Ok...I'll be honest. I really rushed this chapter. Especially the end of it. X( so there might be a lot of typos and mistakes. Sorry guys. I just really wanted to finished this. Anyway, try to enjoy. I made a little 'twist' in here so...be prepared._

_Happy reading/writing!  
_

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**Optimus POV**

(a few weeks ago)

I felt...nothing. First there was pain. Just an unbearable pain in my chassis. In my spark chamber. I saw my red energon splatter out of me, along with fire and metal. My legs which were kicking out violently, suddenly numbed and stopped moving. The second my peds touched the ground, my lower servos gave out and I fell. It took forever for me to hit the ground. I couldn't feel the impact, but I knew that it made the ground shake. My optics were beginning fade when I saw her. Clare. My love. She was...staring at him. There was an odd mixture of horror and disbelief in her large brownish red eyes. Her short choppy hair was sticking out in every direction.

My systems were shutting down. My optics were flickering, straining to stay online. Everything felt like it was slowing down. I wanted to tell her that I loved her. But instead I said, ཁClare. Run. Ruu...ཁ I faded.

...

My frame jerked. A blast of familiar and unfamiliar energy surged through my circuits. I...could feel again. I felt something in my spark. Both literally and figuratively. It took a moment for my optics to return online. I stared up at the blue cloudless sky. It took me another moment to realize that I wasn't in the forest anymore. My systems began to update themselves to the time and location I was in. I was unconscious for many...weeks? Impossible. Then there was the fact that I was in the middle of a desert in Egypt. Very odd. Though, there was still a battle going on. When all my senses came back online, I could hear weaponry being fired and such. I could also hear voices.

Some were yelling my name. Others...seemed to be whispering it. In my processor. In a language I knew so well that wasn't completely Cybertrionian. My dialect. The Prime's language. Those voices...they were the Primes but I didn't understand how I knew that. It felt as if they were present within me. I noticed another presence within my spark. It was so...warm and lovely. So familiar. The only thing I could think of was Clare.

I suddenly remembered her and how horrific her condition was. Then I saw her right there on my chassis. Her hair seemed to have grown a bit from what felt like moments ago. Her face didn't have bruises on them and her eyes were bright blue. I had to shutter my optics for a minute. There was too much to take in all at once. When my optics came back online, I saw Clare crying again. This time, though, she was happy and relieved. I...felt it.

I opened my labia plates to speak, but dust came out from my unused vocal processor before I managed to utter her name. I tried to lift my hand to touch her. I felt incredibly weak and my arm felt heavier than it should have been. My fingers tips brushed against the softness of her now wet cheeks. Oh how much I wished to kiss them. My love leaned against my hand. I have missed her so.

Suddenly, the voices in head yelled, "The Fallenཀ" A tall figure appeared right next to my frame. He...teleported. That's impossible.

"How very disgusting," he snarled coldly. I snarled back at the Fallen. I didn't know why the Primes were in my head, but there was no time for questions. Especially since Megatron was walking up. He looked...mad. Even more mad than ever before. He stared at Clare who was glaring back with such burning fury. Again, I felt it.

"My master," Megatron uttered to the Fallen, but was immediately interrupted.

"You stupid foolཀ You should have killed the human after the Matrix appeared!" the Fallen roared.

"I couldn't kill her. I want her," he said gutturally, optics still on Clare.

"Simply revolting. You do not deserve to be a Decepticon."

"I am the _leader _of the Decepticons. Not only that, but I will become a Prime as wellཀ" Megatron snapped. I couldn't help but snort at that last statement. The Fallen merely threw his helm back and laughed.

"Idiotཀ Honestly, you are such a gullible idiotཀ"

"Megatron," I said quietly. "Primes are not made. They are born."

Megatron stared at me for the longest moment then raised his cannon. Clare let out a shriek of disapproval as I immediately pushed her off my chest and away from me. Then, Megatron fired. To my surprise, I wasn't hit. The Fallen was. The tall mech next to me staggered back, clearly stunned by the sudden blast. But Megatron continued to shoot at him. As if by instinct, my Autobots fired at the Fallen as well. However, this time, all of the attacks seemed to miss their target. They either flew right passed him or merely hit the ground near me.

The Fallen calmly stood next to me. He held a hand out over my chest plates. A tiny object came out and drifted up and into his hand.

"My Matrix of Leadership," he whispered then smirked at me. I knew for a fact that this Matrix held great power, and that it shouldn't be in the Fallen's hands. I tried to reach for him, but I was too slow. Too weak. The Fallen merely kicked my arm away. He held his over hand out and stopped the bullets and missiles, which were still being shot at him, in mid air. I tried to keep the astonished look of my visage. His power was truly amazing.

The ancient mech looked directly at Megatron then said, "If you can't kill off a single pathetic flesh creature," he glanced at Clare. "Then I will." He jerked his outstretched hand towards her and the projectiles followed.

"NOཀ" I and many others yelled just as Clare's scream was overpowered by the sounds of the blasts. I stared at the sand cloud that covered the area. I couldn't see her. I couldn't hear her. I couldn't...feel her.

The dust and sand cleared. No one moved. Not even the Fallen. My spark numbed when I saw her mangled body lay there in the sand. Her clothes were tattered and blacked. Burns covered the exposed parts of her body. Blood leaked out from where the shrapnel punctured her body.

"Clare," I whispered. I crawled. Primus, I crawled to her. She wasn't moving. "N-no..." She wasn't breathing. "Primus, no." I reached out to touch her body, but I stopped myself midway. "R-Ratchetཀ" I roared desperately, before I realized that he was already there checking her vital organs. Human medics were with her as well. One was already trying to take care of the burns and shrapnel while the other was trying to revive her. Ratchet kept instructing them as best he could, though he looked very grim. I knew that he's been studying about the human frame as well as their science and medicine.

I unconscious looked back at my fellow Autobots. They all stared with pained looks in their optics. I saw Bumblebee drive up. Everything at that point felt as if it slowed down. I watched as Caitlin suddenly jumped out of my scout's car mode, followed by Clare's mother and sister. 'No,' I thought. 'Not them. They shouldn't see Clare like this.'

Clare's mother took one glimpse of her youngest daughter, opened her mouth, and wailed. Anna was sobbing. Caitlin merely stared at Clare's body in disbelief. Lennox and Epps immediately ran over and pulled the three human femmes away. Bumblebee had already transformed to his robot mode. His large optics stared at Clare. He then fell his knee struts and uttered a devastating sound. I looked at Megatron, who looked...devastated as well. The look in his optics was haunting. I could _see_ the disturbing obsession he has for her. Suddenly, the voices spoke to me and snapped me out of my ruin.

"_Call to it_," one Prime said.

"_Call to the Matrix of Leadership._"

"_It will always answer to a true Prime._"

"Matric of Leadership," I began, suddenly knowing what to say. "I call upon you for your power and wisdomཀ"

"Whatཀ?" the Fallen snarled as the Matrix glowed and began to float towards me. "Noཀ It's _mine_ཀ" He reached out to grab it but jumped back when Megatron, once again, began to shoot at him. There was a murderous look in his optics. I was glad that it wasn't towards me at my given state.

I lifted my hand and allowed the small powerful artifact to touch my fingers. Small pulses of energy ran through me from the Matrix and I felt a bit more stronger. The Primes' voices sounded more clear now. Time seemed to stop completely when they began to speak.

They reassured me about Clare's state. They told me that the Matrix bound her to me, so I would be able to heal her body after I defeat the Fallen. After that was said, all of Clare's memories flowed into my processor. Everything. Her childhood. Her school. Her time with me and other Autobots. Her time...at the camp.

"Clare," I whispered as I was forced to watch her being violated by Megatron. Over and over again. Tortured. Physically and mentally. I couldn't watch any more of it. I tried my best to block out her whimpers and his growls. However, I merely saw other memories. I saw her being comforted by our Autobot friends as well as other human friends. I felt her pain and sadness when she saw me...offline. I felt her comfort when our friends helped her. I felt as if...I fought her battles with her. I finally understood everything that was going on.

"We blocked him out for her," a Prime murmured softly. "So she could fight without his influence."

"Megatron," I growled. That mere designation enraged me. He will never be forgiven for what he has done to Clare, let alone for all the deaths he has brought in this wretched war. But I didn't allow myself to be consumed by the feeling. It will not help me in any way. Instead, I regained my composure and, to the Primes, whispered, "Thank you."

I blinked and realized that time didn't stop at all. Only I did. I managed to fully sit up. My optic caught Megatron frantically battling the Fallen. Ironhide, Jazz, and Sideswipe just finished off the last Decepticon protoform.

"Autobots," I called out as best I could. "Destroy the pyramid." I pointed to the pointless pyramid. The sun harvester. Without hesitation, my Autobots transformed and drove off at full speed. Ratchet stayed behind with the human medics to care for Clare.

"Optimus," a weak voice called out. I looked at the severely injured Decepticon, designated Jetfire. No, not Decepticon. Autobot Jetfire. I couldn't help but smile at him. He is an ally and a friend to Clare. "I wish...to help," he uttered. He was fading.

"Matrix of Leadership. Heal Jet-"

"No. Not like that. I will be useless like that. Please...just take my parts." I stared at him for a moment then gave him a slight nod. Jetfire smiled back. "Tell that lass of yours not to be sad about me offlining." I nodded once again then held out the Matrix. The ancient object glowed and Jetfire's optics flickered for a brief moment before turning of completely. His entire frame began to break down on it's own. It dismembered itself piece by piece. Jetfire's parts came to me and attached themselves to my own frame. The Matrix of Leadership floated into the whole in my chest just as Jetfire's armor covered over it, protecting my spark chamber as well as the Matrix itself. I gained his flight technology as well as his weaponry. The Matrix pulsed inside of me, just above my spark. Each beat filled me with more and more energy and strength. Slowly, I began to stand. I glanced at the remains of Jetfire. Only his dead spark laid in the sand.

"Thank you, fellow Autobot," I whispered before turning my jets and boosters online and taking flight. I headed towards the pyramid. I immediately saw Megatron in air. He was chasing the Fallen, who was appearing and disappearing around the Pyramid. He was trying to fight off all of my Autobots as well as avoid Megatron.

I emitted a low dangerous growl and aimed my newly acquired blaster at the Fallen then fired. My shot met it's target, right through his left lower servo. The original Decepticon stumbled down the pyramid and into the small ruins beside it. Megatron saw and headed down after him. I let my plasma blade extend as I jetted towards my greatest foe, picking up more and more speed.

Before I reached him, Megatron transformed in midair and whirled around to face me. His sharp dentals were bared as he pointed his canon/claw at me. I dodged his slow unfocussed attacks and managed to get closer to him. Then, with great speed I never knew I possessed, I sliced his canon arm right off then shot him at point blank right in his face. He let out a roar and I gave him a swift hard kick, sending him plummeting to the grown. I didn't bother going back to finish him off. The Fallen was a worse enemy who needed to be destroyed immediately. I headed towards the ruins. Suddenly, something large appeared on my back and started tearing my jets apart.

"You are so weak!" the Fallen snarled. He dug his talons into my side, tearing through my armor and into my protoform.

I merely ignored the pain and dove down to the ruins. From the corner of my optic, I saw Megatron retreat with Starscream. I had to hold myself back from going after him. 'Another day,' I thought. 'I have another problem to deal with.' I saw the ground coming fast. The moment I was close enough to it, I flipped myself over and slammed the Fallen into the Earth. He let out a harsh grunt. I rolled off of him and onto my peds. The Fallen stumbled to his own peds only to be blown away by my jets. The mech flew through the air like a rag doll and crashed into the already damaged structures. Immediately I went after him to finish him off. However, the moment I got near, the Fallen let out an incredible roar. He leaped out from the rubble and at me with his staff at hand.

"_Die_ like your _brothers_!" he howled and swung blindly at me. It was clear that he was getting frustrated just by how sloppy his fighting became. The injury to his leg as well as his entire frame from the crashes didn't help either.

I easily ducked from his attacks. My plasma blade and hooks were extended and ready. The Fallen attempted to stab the sharp end of his staff into my head. I merely swung my blade and sliced off the end of his staff. Then, without hesitation, I hooked into his shoulder and tore the Fallen's entire arm off.

"You picked the wrong planet," I growled and plunged my blade into his abdomen then pulled out. The Fallen wailed and fell to his knees. His frame shook violently as he tried to crawl away. "No you don't," I whispered. My hook met the cables that formed his neck and I used it to crane his head back. "Give me your face." My hook pierced into his face plating and tore it completely off his primitive protoform. My servo, which wielded my plasma blade, transformed into my rifle. I placed the nozzle right at the back of the struggling mech and blew his entire head off. His thin frame crumpled to the ground. The Fallen has finally offlined.


	28. Wake Up

_Chapter 28! Yayayayayay! I'm doing my best in updating faster! Thank you all for being SO patient with me.__ Anyway, enjoy this chapter and happy holidays...if I don't update before Christmas._

_Happy reading/writing! :)_

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"_One less threat to this universe_," a Prime grumbled.

"_Now, go to your love_," another added.

"My love," I whispered to myself. I turned my flight technology back on and took to the air. I felt a bit anxious as I flew back to the others. My Autobots and NEST team were all there waiting for me. When I landed I saw Ironhide and Sideswipe both holding the remains of Mudflap and Skids. My spark dropped at the sight but I said nothing. There was nothing for me to say. We were all mourning silently in our own way.

I looked over at Ratchet, who was working on the femmes. His expression was grim, but I knew it wasn't because of them. Arcee, Chromia, and Flareup may have had severe injuries but they were highly resilient and enduring. They had a good chance of surviving, especially since Ratchet was working on them.

Simmons was talking quietly to Epps. The human male, Leo, stuck close to his side and watched us warily. Lennox seemed to be trying to contact someone through his static-y walkie talkie. I also noticed Caitlin, who was huddled with Anna. They both had tears flowing down their cheeks. Clare and Anna's mother was also with them and crying as well. However, she was looking right at me. Glaring. It was not the first time she has given me that hateful look.

The Primes' whispers suddenly filled my head once again. My frame began to move without me really thinking about it. I walked passed everyone, towards the two human medics that were sitting near Clare's now covered body. They both looked somewhat defeated.

"We're sorry," one of them whispered.

"She's not breathing and there's no pulse," the other added quietly. "She's gone."

"Yes," a harsh voice yelled out. "She's gone. Because of _you_!" I turned and faced the human femme. Clare's mother. Anna and Caitlin tried to hush the distraught human, but she went on. "If she wasn't sucked up in all this shit with you, she would have _lived_!" She was trying to get me to feel guilty. She had no one else to blame but me. I, however, did not let guilt enter my spark. She was wrong. I knew that for a fact.

"No," I said calmly to her. "This goes beyond her being around us Autobots. This was her destiny."

"_Destiny_! To get-" I cut her off.

"She is not gone forever." I turned back to Clare's body and gently picked her up.

"What are you talking about?" I heard Clare's mother whisper. Her voice was filled with disbelief.

"The Primes and I will not let her die. Especially not after all the she has been through," I added then opened my spark chamber, revealing my own spark. I carefully held Clare closer to my ember and felt her cold body slowly turn warm again. She was clinging to life. Just barely. I felt it. That fact itself was relieving enough for me. I felt her damaged body beginning to heal itself with my help. My own spark gave her heart a little jolt to start beating again. Her lungs began to work as well as her other organs. She was breathing slow even breaths. Our new bond brought her back, but...she didn't wake up. She was alive but...she wouldn't open her eyes. She wouldn't speak. Now, I began to worry.

Suddenly, a large gust of wind blew the sand into the air, causing the humans to cough and choke. The wind didn't die off. Instead it just grew. A dust storm was closing in fast. This was no place to keep them. Lennox, who was trying to get a signal, finally spoke out to me.

"Optimus! We should head toward the Mediterranean Sea! We could get a ship to take us back to America!" he shouted.

"No," I called out over the winds that were picking up. "That will take too long." Still holding Clare close, I closed my spark chamber then went over to Jetfire's dead spark. I knelt down and picked it up. "Everyone!" I yelled. "To me!"

My Autobots were able to guide the humans to my direction. Even through a dust storm, we were able to somewhat navigate ourselves through all the sand. And the fact that we didn't need air, unlike the humans, was a very good advantage for us.

"The hell we doin!" I heard Epps yell out.

"I am opening a Space Bridge," I answered.

"Great," Jazz grumbled beside me. It was clear the he was not enthused about the trip. I gave my lieutenant a reassuring pat on the shoulder then turned on Jetfire's Space Bridge. Everyone huddled closer as a blue light surrounded us. Tiny static shocks tingled my frame. The blue light flashed blindly and my frame was jerked off the sand. I felt my peds land on solid ground. When I was able to see again, I let out a sigh of relief. We stood in front of the factory. Our first base on Earth. Home.

**Two Months Later**

The last few weeks were very stressful and quite troublesome. As Autobot leader, I had to constantly travel all over Earth and speak to it's many leaders. There was no point in hiding anymore. After Megatron's broadcast months ago, the battles, and left remains of said battles, the humans knew of our existence. They finally realized that they were not alone in this universe.

Obviously, this caused many problems. There were humans who were obsessed with trying to come near us Autobots. They demanded that we take our pictures with them or have us show our weapons to them. We ignored those particular humans. Others, however, said hateful things to us. Some even tried to shoot at us. They were pathetic attempts, really. Most of us were able to ignore them. But not Ironhide or Sideswipe. They tried to persuade me to let them blast those kinds of humans away. I told them not to. That will only cause more problems. Then there was the issue with the leaders all over the world. Some leaders believed that we would ally ourselves with only America and attack America's enemies. Few merely did not want anything to do with us. Others questioned if having us on Earth would be good at all. Because of all this, I had to travel all around the world to speak to each leader who has a problem with us. I had to explain to them what we were. I had to tell them about our war and our planet. I had to give them, in specific detail, information about what I have done on Earth. I had to tell them everything. Of course I wouldn't tell them _everything_. Especially not everything I have done with Clare. That was personal.

I had William Lennox with me, thankfully. He did his best in defending my Autobots each time a leader would accuse and antagonize us. Agent Simmons also came along. He was great help when it came to explaining about us Cybertronians as well as the happenings with Sector 7. Arguments obviously broke out. Then questions. Then more arguments.

Finally, after weeks of these stressful meetings, we were finally allowed to stay on Earth without complaint. However, we were forced to shut down our NEST base and move all the equipment to a completely new base in Washington D.C. Even our original factory/base was shut down and demolished. This made us, the first wave of Autobots who arrived on Earth, _very_ upset. But we had no say in this so we did not bother to object. At least we had 'protection' from the humans who, for some reason, hated our existence.

Because we were allowed to stay on Earth, we had to agree to help with certain human affairs as well as hunt down Decepticons. More Autobots were allowed to enter Earth's atmosphere as long as they followed the 'rules', which were obnoxious, obvious, and unnecessary. Basically, the rules consisted of things that we already _weren't_ doing and things we _wouldn't_ do in general. All in all, it was all very agitating as well as saddening to me.

The tedious meetings were taking me away from Clare, who still had not woken up. Ratchet has been doing his utter most best in keeping me updated. He tried to put an IV into her so she would obtain nutrients and survive. However, her body was rejecting the nutrients. Oddly enough, her body also seemed to be completely healthy despite the lack of food, water, and exercise. My medic had no idea what was going on and neither did any of the human medics. Jazz and Ironhide were also giving me updates on her condition when Ratchet couldn't. As well as everyone else's conditions. The things they have told me were a bit grim.

Lennox had to leave before I could, because he had other meetings with his higher ranked officers. Simmons apparently had to leave to do some personal business. I assumed it had something to do with old Sector 7 issues. And the human boy named Leo merely left without a word. Perhaps our existence was too much for him to handle. As for Clare's family, the American government gave them a place to stay near D.C. Apparently, they felt guilty about trying to hunt down Clare and handing her over to Megatron. Plus, they were grateful for having Clare save the planet. So they are trying to make it up to her family. But I knew that Clare's mother did not want to leave Clare alone with NEST and us Autobots. I also knew that the government will not allow her or Anna to enter the base. Not even to visit Clare.

Jazz informed me that Bumblebee has gone into a deep depression for a couple reasons. One was quite obvious. Clare, his friend and ward, was not waking up. At all. That was devastating enough for him. Then there was Caitlin. Since the entire planet knew of our existence, so did Caitlin's parents. They were furious, as both Ironhide and Jazz told me. Apparently, they were angry that we lied to them about who and what we were. They also blamed us for putting their daughter in danger. They were also infuriate by Clare not telling them anything or coming to them for help. I didn't really understand why they were so angry about that, considering that they probably could have done nothing to help. But the thing that hurt Bumblebee was that Caitlin's parents decided to move away and cut all ties with us. They said that we were not allowed to contact Caitlin again. Bumblebee was anguished by losing another friend. Ironhide and Jazz were also quite upset over that. But I knew that they both will be alright. Especially Ironhide. He didn't allow himself to get too attached to her. So he won't be too hurt by it. But we all knew for a fact that Caitlin was distraught about everything. I didn't need Ironhide or Jazz to tell me that.

Now, after all the meetings and avoiding obsessive humans, I managed to get back to D.C. It was my first time going to the new base. Thankfully, a couple NEST vehicles met me midway and escorted me to the base. Because of this, I didn't have to stop for any humans who wanted to interview me or demand any ridiculous requests.

I knew I should have been somewhat happy that the meetings were over but...I felt even more down. Recently, before I arrived to D.C., I have ordered Sideswipe and Jolt to bury Mudflap and Skids' remains in the Atlantic Ocean, along with Jetfire's remains. I knew that the others were angry at me for making that decision. They all countered by stating that Clare would have been able to revive them just like she did to Bumblebee in Hoover Dam. When she ever woke up, that is. The Primes, however, told me to put their frames in a peaceful location. They didn't just tell me. They insisted. I didn't understand why. I still don't. I thought what the others did about Clare reviving them. But I did what the Primes told me to do without arguing.

"_She is not the All Spark_," one of the Primes stated in a dry tone as I followed my NEST allies.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"_I mean what I said. She is not the All Spark," _he answered back._ "Nor is she the Matrix of Leadership or Primus himself. She should not be able to revive them. It is not her destiny to do so. We will not allow her to revive others anymore. She was used to revive Megatron and she can be used to revive others who are equally, if not more dangerous than he is._"

"But she _has_ the power," I retorted quietly.

"_Yes, she has the power_," another Prime answered. "_But she _shouldn't_. She should not have that much energon in her small frame. She should only have enough to heal. Not revive_." I let out a heavy sigh.

"_The extra energon and power she has within her is being used right now_," a third Prime murmured.

"Why?" I asked almost cautiously.

"_It has been keeping her alive and healthy until it is all used up_."

"So that's why she's been in a coma..."

"_Correct_."

"Only the extra energon. Right? She will still have some left in her?"

"_Correct._"

"_She will wake up soon_," a fourth Prime said gently.

"I believe you," I whispered. "But...it just hurts to have her like this. I can't feel her anymore. I don't even know if she's alive now."

"_You will feel her_," a fifth Prime murmured.

"_When the time is right_," the final Prime whispered. Then they all silenced.

By the time our conversation ended, I was rolling into my new base. It was quite large and almost completely empty. I knew that equipment was still being installed as well as still needing to be brought in. It was still...saddening to know that our first home was torn down. I saw Ironhide coming over to me, which lifted my spirits slightly. I had missed my best friend.

"You're finally here," he grumbled. I transformed and gave him a nod. "The others are either in recharge, out for a drive, or with Clare." I said nothing. "So...," Ironhide continued. "How was your meetings."

"Please don't ask me about that now," I said quietly.

"Right. Sorry," Ironhide muttered. After a long moment of silence, Ironhide let out a sigh and rubbed his face tiredly. "Prime. She ain't waking up. We're beginning to think that she's really gone."

"Clare is not dead," I said almost defensively, even though I wasn't quite sure of it myself.

"She may be physically stable, but there is no brain activity. Don't you think that's gone enough, Optimus?"

"The Primes told me that she will wake up. Besides, they are probably interfering with the brain activity."

"How can you be so sure?" he asked, a growl creeping to his vocals. He was losing his patience. "How can you trust what they say?"

"I can trust them because Clare trusts them. They helped her," I snapped back. Ironhide merely stared at me but said nothing to push the situation. I forced my irritation and fatigue back before speaking again. "Where is she?"

"Follow me,"he muttered then walked off. I followed my weapon specialist to where the human members of NEST inhabited. We passed by their large dorm-like quarters at the back of the building. They were empty. No one was moving in quite yet.

We entered a much smaller chamber. In the middle of the room was a large bed. It was surrounded by small monitors and machines that read a heart rate and brain functioning. Laying on the bed was none other than Clare.

Jazz and Bumblebee's vehicle modes were parked right near her bed. Their holograms sat on their respected cars and watched her. Ratchet, who was also using his hologram, was checking the monitors. He looked at Ironhide and I and gave us a nod of acknowledgment. Jazz looked at us as well. He gave me a very faint smile. Bumblebee was still staring at Clare, looking very depressed indeed. According to Ratchet's earlier reports while I was away, Bumblebee never left the room.

I let out a sigh and transformed back to my truck form. My spark suddenly started to hurt. My hologram stepped out and went over to Clare. The closer I got, the more pain I felt in my spark. No matter how many times the Primes tried to reassure me, seeing Clare like this will always hurt me.

She was wearing nothing but a little white hospital gown. I assumed that one of the humans medics put her in it while they were here to examine her. There were no bruises or cuts on her exposed skin. Clare's black hair had grown much longer from the last time I saw her. It was down to her shoulders now. She looked as if she was asleep. She looked so peaceful.

"Clare," I whispered. and reached to touch her cheek. She was so warm. My hologram's body began to tremble. "Please. Wake up. Please." Both my hands were suddenly holding her by her cheeks. My face was close to hers. I could have kissed her but I didn't. "Clare. Wake up and look at me," I said. My voice cracked as overwhelming emotions began to flood my spark. My eyes began to sting slightly. My vision became blurry as I felt liquid run down my face. "Wake up," I uttered weakly. "Wake up. Wake up! _Wake up_!"

"Optimus," Ratchet said quietly. I heard the faintly stunned tone in his voice. I just let my emotions out in front of my Autobots. It made me feel even more defeated. "Please don't do that. You're only hurting yourself." I kept holding Clare and merely stared through tears at her closed eyes.

"Optimus," Jazz finally spoke, hollowly. "You've had a long time without any decent rest. You should go and get some recharge time. Alright?"

I nodded then reluctantly let go of my love's warm cheeks. The tears were still flowing down my own cheeks as I turned and stiffly walked back to my truck. Then, as I reached for my door, a familiar warmth filled by spark. It was so sudden that I froze and stared at my real body in disbelief. I heard both Ironhide and Jazz let out an astonished gasp. Then, I heard the voice that I have been yearning to hear for weeks.

"Optimus...?"


	29. Heat

_Ch__apter 29_ _is finally up and ready for reading! Wow...this one is pretty long. lol I hope everyone will enjoy it! I sort of rushed it, so sorry about that. I'm close to wrapping this story up. Just a few more chapters!_**  
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**Clare POV**

I couldn't open my eyes. I couldn't move. I couldn't speak. But I could hear.

I could hear voices. But I didn't know what they were saying. I couldn't figure out who the voices belonged to. There was something so oddly familiar about them. I couldn't put my finger on it. I didn't know how long I've been listening to those voices. It felt like hours. God, it was so dark. It felt like I was stuck in the middle of being asleep and being awake. I wanted to wake up. I wanted to know what they were saying. I wanted to know who they were.

Then, suddenly, there was silence. No more voices. Completely silent.

"_Clare_," someone finally uttered. 'That voice,' I thought. Then I felt something warm surround my face. No. Not surround. It was like, something warm was holding my face. The feeling was also familiar. "_Wake Up. Please._" A sharp pain filled my chest. I could feel his pain. I...I knew who he was. But...what was his name? "_Wake up_," he uttered weakly. I wanted to wake up. I wanted to see his face but I didn't know how. I couldn't remember. "_Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!_"

'I want to!' I yelled back inwardly. 'Let me wake up!' Then I heard a gentle murmur of voices. The same familiar voices. I couldn't remember. I had to remember! The warmth left my cheeks. He was leaving me. 'No!' I screamed in my head. 'Don't leave me! What's your name!' The pain in my chest increased. It felt like a knife was pierced into my heart.

_...another car rammed into the cop car before it hit the girl. It was a yellow beat up Camaro with two black stripes coming down it's hood...Four vehicles appeared and drove up toward us. One was a huge red and blue Peterbilt truck with flames on it. A silver Pontiac Solstice was in front of the truck. Trailing behind was a Search and Rescue H2 Hummer, which was yellow green, and a black GMC Topkick..._

'Names. Your names,' I silently called out. 'All your names. I have to remember'

_...she saw the yellow Camero outside, parked to the side of the street. Having the car there made her smile...the weapon specialist gently pulled the traumatized girl onto his lap and held her close...the smaller silver mech scooped the girl up into his hand and held her protectively close...she could barely hear the soft words of the medic as he tried his best to revive her...she went closer to the tall blue and red robot who just stood and watched her. She climbed the railing of the balcony and kissed him right on his mouth..._

'Bumblebee...Ironhide...Jazz...Ratchet...and...'

**...**

I was blinded by a bright light. Thankfully my eyes began to focus and I realized that I was staring up at the ceiling lights. I blinked a few times to make sure it wasn't a hallucination.

'And...,' my mind continued to search for his name. I slowly turned my head and I saw Jazz, Ironhide and Bumblebee. Jazz and Ironhide each let out a soft gasp. Bumblebee just stared at me in disbelief. I glanced at Ratchet who, by the looks of it, was frantically checking the monitors around me. My eyes drifted towards the familiar red and blue rig with flames. I stared at him...that one mech. What was his name? His hologram stood completely still with his back to me. His name...

"Optimus...?" I asked.

The hologram slowly turned and looked at me. Tears were leaking out from his gorgeous blue eyes. Someone suddenly had their arms around me. Bumblebee. He said nothing. He just held me tightly against his shaking body. Then Jazz was suddenly holding us both.

"Clare," he whispered. "Baby girl."

"W-what's going on?" I asked, very confused. "Are you guys ok?"

"We are now, Clare. We are now," Jazz murmured and kissed my cheek. I felt someone stroke my hair. I looked back to see Ratchet's hologram. He ran his fingers through my hair again. It was a loving touch. The medic was smiling gently right at me. Weird.

"We are merely happy that you are well," he said.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Nothing, kid," Ironhide grumped. I looked at him and could have sworn that he was smiling as well. Actually, it was more like a half-smile. It was close enough. And still very weird. "We'll talk about it after you get some rest. You probably need to take things a little slow."

I gave the black mech an absent nod. Everything felt so surreal. I realized that I couldn't remember a whole lot of what happened before I woke up. Just bits and pieces. As if by instinct, I looked at Optimus for reassurance. To my surprise, he was still staring at me as well as still crying.

"Optimus...?" I said his name tentatively, as if I was unsure if that was his name at all. After a moment, I said his name again, but with more strength and certainty. "Optimus." One of my hands let go of Bumblebee, who was still clinging to me, and reached out towards the mech. It felt heavy and stiff almost like a block of lead. But I ignored it. "Optimus. My Optimus Prime."

Suddenly, Jazz and Bumblebee both let go of me and Optimus' hologram was on me before I could blink. One hand held me by my hair while the other held my jaw. The tears from his cheeks smeared onto my skin as Optimus nuzzled from my cheeks to my neck.

"My love," he whispered almost gutturally. "Mine."

My hands slid up his chest to his face and held him by his cheeks. His eyes bore into mine and I was a bit astonished by the fact that I was able to stare right back into his. I saw the deep love in his eyes. It was...haunting. Before I knew it, my lips found his. Optimus let out a soft needy growl as his kissed back. I felt the heat rise within me. Or was that from Optimus? No. It was both of us. We both knew what we wanted from each other. Then someone cleared his throat and we froze. Ratchet. The medic apparently figured out what we wanted as well.

"Break it up, you two," he said dryly. "Clare shouldn't be getting into those kinds of _activities _just yet."

"Yeah, it might be just a bit too early for that," I heard Jazz say with hint of amusement in his voice. Optimus finally withdrew his lips from mine but he still held me by my hair. I rested my head against his chest. I felt so safe and happy. I was with my Autobots.

I peeked out at the others and saw Ironhide, now using his hologram, walking up to us. There was an oddly gentle smile on his face. The smile itself made his hologram look so much more older and tired. It made my heart hurt a bit.

Ironhide sat next to Optimus and gave me a gentle pat on the back. Then, before I knew it, Jazz, Bumblebee, and Ratchet were all on the bed with us. They were either hugging onto me, holding my hand, or simply stroking a lock of my hair.

For the most part, all the Autobots I've met became my friends to some degree. But these five were different. The "first wave" of Autobots were special to me and they will always be more than my friends. They're my family. That very thought triggered something in my mind. I suddenly felt as if something was off.

Optimus must have somehow sensed this because he gently pulled me off of him and said, "We have to talk."

**A Week Later**

Optimus, and his Autobots, had told me everything that has happened over the last few months. From the new base to Caitlin and her family. From the issues with my own family to the government and people who were, and maybe still are, against the Autobots. Everything seemed to be very grim through my eyes.

I hated how the government closed down the factory. That place was like my second home. Even with just Bumblebee around, Caitlin and I would go there and hang out. Then there was Caitlin's family. What they did just hurt me. Caitlin's parents have known me for a long time. And because of me they left. And, of course, my mom and sister. I was a bit relieved by the fact that they weren't allowed to see me. As horrible as it sounds, I really didn't want to wake up to their faces. As for the dear citizens of Earth and the government who keep harassing that Autobots, I could go all day ranting about them. But I won't. I'll just annoy everyone in the process. By everyone, I mean Ratchet. The only bright side is that I can finally remember everything that has happened. and that I'm able to see my Autobot friends more often.

So, for the passed week, I had to stay in the little medbay with Ratchet because he wanted to make sure that I was physically alright. The only time I was able to leave was to go to the bathroom for a few minutes. I couldn't even take a shower! I felt so damn grubby and because of this my mood was off. I mostly took it out on Ratchet because he was the one who ordered me to stay. But he ignored my bitching like he always seemed to do. At least he didn't yell right back at me like Ironhide would do.

Jazz and Bumblebee took turns in giving me food. At first, they were very small portions. My body needed to adapt to me eating actual food instead of relying on the energon in me to live. At least I was able to get out of bed. Ironhide visited me every day and helped me get used to walking again. That was probably the only reason I was able to leave the medbay: take little walks with the weapons specialist. I got visits from Sideswipe, the femmes, and Jolt as well. They all seemed pretty happy to see me alive. Optimus was the only one, other than Ratchet, who stayed in the medbay with me. Bee wanted to stay as well but he had to help out with the base. At least I was able to talk/text to him with my new cell phone which was sent to me by none other than Simmons. Bless the man. Simmons also managed to come over for a visit as well. It was a brief one, but I was so...unbelievably happy to see him. The most we did was talk about Simmons' new book that he was planning on writing. It was interesting...I guess.

Even after he left, I was able to communicate with him. The cell phone he gave me had all of his contacts. The amazing man that he was, Simmons also added all the Autobots' numbers as well as Lennox's, Epps' and even, to my delight, Caitlin's. With the help of Bee and Jazz, Simmons managed to track down Caitlin's new cell phone number. Without her parents knowing about it, of course. Caitlin and I have been texting/calling each other non-stop, partially because I had nothing else better to do. But I did miss talking to her a lot. We kept each other updated on things.

Obviously I managed to gain my mother's cell phone number as well. I talked to my mom and Anna a lot too. I wasn't surprised that my mom began to cry hysterically when I first called. I was kinda happy about it. I even sort of missed it...but it got old rather quickly. Her constant complaining ruined it all for me as well. Yes, even after being out for however many weeks and going through all the hell I've had, my dear mother decided to rant about everything. And I mean everything. She raved about what happened to our house, the Autobots themselves, the Government, NEST, Caitlin's parents, the hotel she's at. Everything. Thankfully, Anna didn't rant or complain like our mother did. She just asked me how I and everyone else at the base was. She's more accepting of the Autobots than our mother was, that's for sure. And that's who my mom would bitch about mostly. Instead of yelling at her, I would just hang up. Hearing her rant, especially about the Autobots and NEST, was something I really did not want to listen to. I just didn't want to deal with it, but my mother didn't seem to understand that. This time, after hanging up yet again, I felt like chucking my new phone at the wall.

"It isn't the phone's fault," Optimus said a little gruffly. I glanced at him. The Autobot leader was sitting in a couch-like chair across the room. It was probably the farthest place he can be from me while staying in the medbay.

"I guess," I said softly, trying to keep the hurt from my voice.

"No, love. You did nothing," he murmured gently, the gruffness hidden. It was like he read my mind. I felt the truth in his words that should have convinced me, but I really wasn't.

"Is it the smell?" I asked. A small yet amused smile cracked onto his lovely face. "Sorry about that, but Ratchet won't let me shower."

"Don't make me into the villain," Ratchet called out from his work station. "You know why I need to monitor your health."

"Yeah," I muttered. Optimus chuckled.

"He's right. And no. Again, it's not you. It's me," he said.

"You?"

"Yes. I do not trust myself around you."

"Why not?" I asked curiously. Optimus squirmed a little in his seat. A sudden warmth filled my body. But it was different from the usual warm feeling I get with Optimus. It wasn't comforting or just loving. It was...arousing.

Ratchet came over and began to give me the usual brief checkup. As he checked my pulse he murmured, "Optimus is in heat."

That didn't really surprise me at all. I could feel his need for contact. I realized, though, that he has been keeping it in for along time. It was only a matter of time when he will finally snapped. But, for some reason, I didn't feel afraid or anxious about it.

Ratchet gave me a little pat on the shoulder when he was done checking me over then retreated back to his work station. The medic has been really sweet to me lately. He hadn't snapped at me as much. It was weird. I missed his grumpy serious side, but I didn't want wreck his mood. Not yet, anyway.

Ironhide strolled in. I smiled and hopped down from the berth, ready for our little walk routine. I needed to get out of the medbay badly. The weapon specialist merely held up his hand.

"I don't think you need me to help you walk anymore," he said dryly.

"But, it's fun to take walks with you," I retorted.

"Beside's you two have bonded quite a lot during your little walks," Ratchet called back with a smile in his voice. Ironhide rolled his optics then crouched down towards me.

"That's not the reason why I came here, kid," he said. "Lennox is here. He wants to talk to you about a few things."

"Oh. Uh...well...Ratchet! Can I please take a shower now?" I pleaded.

"Since your frame seems to be fully stable again, I guess you could," he said thoughtfully.

"Yes!"

"Clare, Lennox is here already. You better go talk to him now," said Optimus.

"Noo!" I whined. "I can't face him while I'm so gross right now."

"Too bad," Ironhide growled more teasingly then irritably. That made me pout.

"Come on, now. Lennox won't care if you're 'gross' or not," Ratchet said. He was trying to be reassuring but it didn't really work.

"He's waiting in the main chamber," Ironhide grunted then scooped me up.

"Wait! Wait!" I yelped as I pulled the skirt of my hospital gown down, trying uselessly to cover my legs. "It'll just be Lennox, right?"

"Sure," the black mech grumbled then walked off.

"Sure? What kind of answer is that!"

"It'll be Lennox and Epps...and a few others."

"What! More army guys?" I squeaked and felt my face burn with embarrassment.

"Relax, kid. I don't want Ratchet to get angry with me for giving you a panic attack."

"Ratchet...Oh! Optimus! I forgot to say bye to him," I said just as I turned back, only to have Ironhide stop and gently press him against his chest. "Oh. Right. You're doing all the walking. Not me."

"Clare. I know you still feel off and a bit awkward with everything right now, but just try to take a few clicks to relax"

"Clicks? You mean seconds, right?"

Ironhide glared at me in such a way, I didn't try to talk back to him about it. He reminded me of my dad. It was one of the few memories I had of him. Probably the only one I've seen him really upset with me. I accidently broke his favorite mug while I was going into a tantrum. He wasn't angry that I broke the mug. It was the fact that I tried to throw it at my sister when she made me upset. I will never forget the look he gave me.

I was brought out of my train of thought when Ironhide gently brought me up to his face. He wasn't glaring at me but no matter what his expression was, he always looked intimidating.

"Just relax," he said gently. I nodding slightly then took in a deep cleansing breath. "Good," he said softly then brought me back to his chest in a gentle embrace. He stayed still and silent for a moment then continued on walking.

We entered a rather large room that contained large complicated looking computers. There were a bunch of trucks and vans with the NEST logo printed on the sides parked on the side next to three smallish jets and a plane. How they managed to get all those vehicles in here, I do not know. I could tell that the base still needed to be finished up. But, as cool as this place already seemed, I still missed my factory base.

"Hey, kid!" I heard someone yell. I looked down and right smack in the middle of the room was Lennox. As well as Epps and three other NEST soldiers. I recognized the other three but I couldn't remember their names. I automatically felt back about that.

Ironhide set me down near the soldiers but I scooted back against him. I didn't really understand why I felt do damn uncomfortable. There was something gnawing inside me. Something familiar and menacing was present. It made me feel anxious. At least Lennox and the other four men kept their distance from me. From the look on their faces, I could tell that they knew I needed space.

"Heard you finally woke up," Epps spoke first. He grinned at me.

"Yeah," I said, trying to smile back. "I've been awake for around a week now."

"Is that so?"

I nodded. I wanted to slap myself in the face. There was no reason to be this awkward with them. 'They're my friends,' I thought. 'Why was I acting like this?'

"Come on," Lennox said as he held a hand out towards me. "There are a few things I gotta tell you."

I stared at his hand for a long moment. My heart began to pound in my chest. I absently looked up at Ironhide for reassurance. The black mech merely jerked his chin towards Lennox, clearly stating that I should go with him. I sucked in a deep breath that calmed my nerves greatly and went over to Lennox.

"Just relax, baby," Ironhide said softly then walked off. I stared after him. Ironhide has never called me baby before let alone anything else other than 'kid' or my name. Strangely enough, I've never witnessed him using a tone _that_ gentle. Even the soldiers seemed stunned.

"Whoa," Epps breathed. "Big man must have some soft spot for ya."

"Yeah, I guess so," I answered.

"You guess..," Lennox said with a snort. He took my hand and walked passed the other soldiers, who took turns ruffling my hair and patting my back. I let out a little squeal.

"Ah! Nooo! My hair is nasty! Don't touch!" I whined. The men snickered as Lennox led me to the far corner of the room, right behind the plane.

"Looks like you've been in prison," Lennox said with a smirk.

"Close enough. Ratchet was my warden," I said dryly. Lennox laughed at the and I smiled. "So...what did you want to talk to me about?"

"Mostly about the government and their...reaction to what you did."

"Great," I muttered.

"No no. Just hear me out. It's nothing bad. The American government, as well as others around the world, feel really bad about trying to follow the Fallen's orders and go after you."

'They better feel bad,' I wanted to say, but instead I just nodded.

"So, because of that, hierarchies around the world have decided to donate large amounts of money to you." I stared at him.

"To me? Just me?"

"Yeah, so..."

"Do they really think that giving me money will make their actions any better?" I asked, suddenly feeling bitter about the entire world. I almost forgot by the fact that I was on the very top on the Wanted list in every country on the planet. The part that really sucked was that no one tried to defend me. At least some of the leaders felt guilty about it. Either that or they were afraid of me sending my Autobots after them. I would prefer if they were afraid of me.

"Look, I know that you are a bit...pissed about it all. But they are trying to make amends. Alright?" Lennox said.

"Yeah, alright," I sighed. After a moment, I asked, "So...can I use the money for anything?"

"Well, since it's yours. Yeah."

"Can I tell you where I want to put it all?"

"You want to spend it all already?"

"Yes and no. I just...there's a bunch of stuff that needs to be paid for."

"Like?"

"My house, for one thing. Make that the whole neighborhood. It all needs to be fixed up and rebuilt."

"Our government paid for that and is getting worked on as we speak."

"Oh.." Didn't see that coming. "Well then, how about hotel expenses for my mom and sister."

"Paid for."

"Then...can I use it for college?"

"It's your money, kid. You use it how you want...as long as it's legal," Lennox said. "We're just going to hold onto all of it for you. NEST volunteered to keep your cash safe." He paused. "Speaking of college, do you know were you want to go?"

"No, but I do know that I want to go into graphic designing."

"Why not the Art Institute that's here in DC?"

"You're saying I should stay here in DC?"

He nodded then said, "Now, this was the other thing I wanted to talk to you about. It's entirely your choice, but a lot of us think that because of your strong bond with the Autobots you should stay here. We think that you'd be more safe and happy. I mean, again if you want, you can get an apartment and use the money to pay for it until you get a job."

Lennox had a hopeful look on his face. He wanted me to stay in Washington DC with NEST and the Autobots. I really wanted to. No joke. But, something made me hesitate in answering. Because of this, Lennox's smile faded slightly.

"You don't want to stay, do you?" he asked.

"No. I do want to stay. Really. It's just...can I finish high school back home? I mean, I can go through my senior year, graduate, and then come here. Is that good?"

"It's your choice kid. If you want to finish your high school back at your home, then that's completely understandable."

"Thank you."

"Sure thing," the soldier said then patted my shoulder. "Oh! And before I forget, there's one more thing I gotta tell you." Lennox motioned to someone behind me. Before I managed to turn around, something latched onto my leg.

"Warrior Goddess!"

"Wheelie!" I exclaimed. 'Oh God,' I thought. 'I forgot about him.' I knelt down and picked the little 'bot up. "Wheelie, I'm so sorry," I said, suddenly on the verge of tears. The ex-Decepticon merely hugged onto me, grinning.

"I knew you'd realize how much you'd miss me," he said smugly.

"Where was he?" I asked Lennox.

"Apparently, he snuck into Caitlin's luggage," the soldier said with a shrug.

"Yeah! I snuck into her suit case. I wanted to teach that girl's parents not to be such pricks! They should have never said that crap about my Warrior Goddess!" Being reminded about Caitlin's parents made me feel a bit upset. Wheelie seemed to have noticed because he hopped off of me and said, "Well, I'm gonna go help the other 'bots fix this crap-tastic place they call a base." I smiled as he transformed into his little blue self and drove off. Lennox then pulled me into a slightly awkward hug.

"Come on," he said. "You'll feel better after a much needed shower." he grinned impishly. I snorted and smiles back. He kept his arm around me and led me back to the medbay. His gentle embrace was comforting and friendly. So why did it make me feel tense?

"Thanks for everything," I said.

"Everything?"

"If you hadn't brought NEST to Egypt, I doubt any of us would be alive right now."

"I think I should be thanking you. No, the _world_ should be thanking you. Even after Optimus was gone, you still kept going."

"I had a lot of help."

"Clare, without you we probably wouldn't have known what to do," he said firmly. There was no humor in his eyes or tone. He was being serious. I gave up trying to argue back at that point. Besides, we were in the medbay. "Quit being too modest. You saved the world." he ruffled my hair, purposely teasing me. I groaned and punched his arm. Lennox merely laughed and said "I'll leave you to your shower," then left.

Ratchet was still in the medbay, fiddling with some equipment. Surprise surprise. But, Optimus wasn't there. I assumed that he was gone to help with the renovations. I looked back at Ratchet. Before I managed to open my mouth, he said, rather impatiently, "Yes. Yes. Yes. Go get yourself clean." I beamed at the giant grump then literally ran to the bathroom.

"Thank you!" I called back before shutting the door. I hear him chuckling. It made me smile.

The bathroom was probably the biggest private bathroom I've ever seen. And most likely the cleanest. Everything was white, almost blinding. There was one fluffy white towel handing next to the shower stall. Yes, a stall. It had a semi-transparent sliding door to it, too. I glanced at the sink, which had toothpaste and the toothbrush I've been using. I was happy that it had all the necessities for me. Soap, shampoo, a blue puffy mesh sponge, a razor, a hair brush, and even a hair dryer. These guys either guessed on getting the right things or they just knew me too well.

I took off the hospital gown. Yes, the same one I've been wearing for more than two months. Gross, isn't it? It stuck to me like a second skin. After I took my underwear off, which I was also wearing for more than two months, I shuddered in disgust. I glanced at myself in the mirror and froze. I was naked.

"Duh," I said out loud to myself. "I kinda have to be naked." 'Not safe,' I immediately thought. The sudden familiar panic began to creep in. "It's just a shower. That's all," I retorted a bit shakily. Then his face flashed into my mind. Blood red optics that stared hungrily. The grotesque face with the sharp pointed teeth.

"_My pet._"

I shrieked.

"Clare!" Ratchet called out. "Are you alright?"

I tried to swallow the panic down and said, "Fine! Just fine, Ratchet! I just...saw a spider! Yeah. Just a spider. That's all." There was a moment of silence.

"Are you certain? Perhaps I should get Optimus an-"

"No. No. I'm fine. He needs to work." I regretted saying that almost immediately but I said nothing else.

"Alright...," I heard Ratchet grumble. He wasn't convinced. I didn't expect him to be.

"Pull yourself together," I whispered through clenched teeth. I took in a few deep breaths before going into the shower stall.

I turned the water on and sighed in relief as the hot sprays beat down on my skin. I stood still for a few minutes then got to work scrubbing myself down. After the first scrub down, I stared at the razor for a long moment. I remembered when I cut myself in front of Ironhide. It felt like years had passed since then. After a few moments of reminiscing, I managed to make myself grab the razor and start shaving. Doing that took quite a while but I was rewarded with silky smooth legs and pits. Next, I took a glob of shampoo and lathered my hair. I rinsed then lathered it again.

"_My pet_," he whispered in my head. I let out a startled gasp. The cold hit me like a ton of bricks.

"N-no..," I whimpered and sank down to my knees. He felt close. So close. "Go away," I managed to growl, though weakly. I cringed as the cold raked me from the inside as if Megatron's talons were caressing the inside of my body.

"_I found you, Clare_," he snarled. My eyes began to sting as the shampoo from my hair flowed into them. I hissed, trying to withstand the sting of my eyes. Unfortunately, the pain didn't keep Megatron out of my head. "_You belong to me._"

Suddenly, the stall door slid open.

"NO!" I screamed and blindly scooted as far away as I could, which wasn't far at all. I held my hands up over my face defensively, but allowed the energy to build up in my right arm. If he touches me, I could stun him and run. To my horror, the energy disappeared at once.

"_No need,_" one of the Primes whispered. Then a pair for strong hands grabbed me by my shoulders, lifted me up, and pushed me against the tiled wall. I instantly recognized the warmth of the hands.

"Optimus..?" I asked with a slight crack in my voice. I tried to wipe the soap off of my face so I could see him. In response, though, Optimus merely tilted my face up and pressed his lips against mine. I let out a shuddery moan. Megatron growled through the bond, clearly realizing that Optimus was here. I felt his presence churn inside of me as if something else was pushing him back. Something that was warm and loving. Optimus. I could feel the Decepticon leader trying to get to me again. But the more Optimus kissed and touched me the more Megatron faded.

I was sandwiched between the wall and Optimus. His lips were soft. His kisses were gentle. Loving. But also possessive. The odd thing was that he made no sound while doing so. No moans. Not even a growl. He was still holding back. But just barely. I was the only one whimpering. I couldn't help myself when I clung to his shirt, which was already soaked. I felt his hands slide down my shoulders, over my breasts, then down to my hips where he pulled me to him while pushing himself to me. Heat was radiating from his body. I could feel it through his drenched clothes. It just made me want more of him. So much more.

But, at that moment, our lips withdrew. Optimus gently pulled me off the wall and m held e against him. We were directly under the water now. I had kept my eyes closed to avoid having more shampoo going into them. I kept them shut until I was sure that the shampoo was completely out of my hair and off my face. I looked up at Optimus' face, which was inches away from mine. His eyes stared into mine. They seemed to be eerily brighter. Almost glowing. I couldn't look away from them. They were just...so beautiful.

"Mine," the Autobot suddenly growled. I couldn't reply because he immediately kissed me again. It was more intense this time. His control was hanging by a thread. His kiss was so fierce it was as if he was feeding off of my mouth. I whimpered when he emitted a low rumbling growl which started from his chest and went up to his throat. His body vibrated with it. His kisses became more rough as he went down my neck.

"Optimus," I moaned. I was against the wall again. His hands were on my hips again and he lifted me up slightly. I took my chance and wrapped my legs around his waist. He closed the distance between us with his hot hard body.

"Please...," I whispered. I loved this. I wanted him so badly. I felt no fear. No doubt. This was it. This was what I've been wanting from him.

At that moment, Optimus froze. He looked at me in the eye again. This time, there was horror in his sapphire eyes.

"No," he said then gently set me down. "I can't...I mean...I don't want to hurt you."

"Optimus, you won't hurt me," I said a little breathlessly. I playfully tugged on his shirt, trying to make him understand that I wanted him to continue. Optimus shook his head in disagreement. He gently took my hands in his and gently pulled them off of his shirt.

"You need care," he said softly. I could hear the faint strain to his voice. I was hard to listen to as he went on. "I can't provide you with care. Not right now. Not while I'm...like this." He lifted my hand up to his face and nuzzled it. I silently watched as he quickly dropped my hand, got out of the shower stall, and left the bathroom. I stared down at the trail of water that he left. My fists clenched in determination rather than anger or hurt.

"I don't need care, Optimus. I need you," I muttered. I quickly wrapped up my extended shower, absently marveled by the water still being steamy hot after all this time, and towel dried my body. When I got out of the stall myself, I reached for my clean clothes, only to realize that I didn't have any. Damn. At least I had my fluffy white towel.

I knew that Optimus was still in the medbay, but I wasn't sure if Ratchet still was. Because of that, I was very hesitant in leaving the bathroom. To stall for time, I decided to brush my teeth and blow dry my hair. All I could think about was what to do or say to Optimus once I left the damn bathroom.

When I finished with my hair I stared at myself in the mirror. I stared into my own eyes. They were blue again. The same bright Autobot blue, except they were brighter than usual. I could see the need in them. The heat between Optimus and I was still there. I could feel it. It hadn't faded. We both needed to satisfy each other's hunger. That itself made me want to go out to him.

"Now or never," I finally muttered to myself.

With that said, I wrapped the towel around me, took hold of the door knob, turned it, and stepped out of the bathroom.


	30. Binding Passion

_FINALLY, chapter 30 is out! Almost done guys. I promise. Warning, it's a sex scene! So...yeah. We all know how bad I am at writing those, so just bare with me and this chapter._

_Happy reading/writing!  
_

* * *

When I stepped out of the bathroom, I instantly noticed that Ratchet wasn't in the medbay at all. That was a huge relief to me. Honestly, I had no idea what I would have said to him if he was there. Then again, knowing Ratchet, he probably would have left without saying a word...then tease me about it later. After all, he _did_ know about Optimus being in heat.

I looked around the medbay and my eyes rested on Optimus. He was in his corner, sitting on the same couch chair. I went over to him, trying to keep my pace even. My heart began to race as I got closer. I stopped right in front of the couch and stared at the hologram before me. Optimus was sitting rather limply in the chair. His arms hung down over the arm rests. His head was silted slightly to the side but his eyes were to the ground. I noted that they were brighter and glowing. I wasn't imagining it in the bathroom.

It took a lot of self control to keep me from throwing myself onto him and devouring his mouth. I knew he felt the same and I guessed that seeing me in nothing but a towel made it harder for him. But it was hard for me too. The hologram's clothing was still soaked. His shirt clung to his well toned body. I was almost disappointed that the shirt wasn't white.

"I have forgotten to bring you some clothes," Optimus said, bringing me back from my fantasies. There was a lot of effort involved when I tried to jerk my eyes from his soaked clothed body up to his face. "Arcee went out to get you some a while ago. I will go see if she has them around." He stood up then stopped moving. I stepped forward and pressed my hands against his chest. Almost immediately, Optimus cupped my face. His lips brushed against mine. My heart was hammering against my chest. I forgot how to breath for a moment. My eyelids drifted down, nearly to a close. But as fast as he held me, Optimus let go. I groaned inwardly. 'This is getting excruciating,' I though, trying to hide my disappointment. My hands still rested on his chest. I could feel his hologram body rise and fall with each breath he took. "I should go," he whispered. Before he moved, I pushed him back down onto the couch. He looked up at me surprised.

"No," I told him, firmly. "You're not leaving me here." At that moment, my towel decided to fall. Oddly enough, I didn't feel that self conscious about being naked in front of him. Optimus, however, inhaled deeply and closed his eyes. I decided to take it a step further and slowly climb onto him, straddling his lap. I shivered at the cool wetness that touched my now dry body. His body tensed under me. His hands clenched the armrests, clearly trying to control the urge to touch me. "Optimus, look at me," I said gently. He did. His eyes were even brighter now.

"I...I can't hold it any longer," he whispered. "I want you...I want you." Optimus leaned forward and buried his face into my neck.

"Then take me," I murmured into his ear.

"No." Optimus' voice dropped down to a growl. "I want you, but I do not want to hurt you." He looked away again. This time I cupped his face in my hands and forced him to look at me. His lips were fuller and, God, I wanted to kiss them.

"You won't hurt me," I said, the firmness came back to my voice. "You're not megatron."

"Clare...I-"

"No, Optimus. The only thing I want to hear coming out from your mouth is you saying you want me."

The Autobot leader stared at me for a long moment. I held my breath, waiting for him to push me off and leave. But he didn't. His eyes, now fierce looking, bore into mine.

"I. Want. You."

The next thing I knew, I was on the couch with Optimus on top of me. His lips were on mine, kissed me deeply. Hungrily. One hand held my head in place by my hair. The other held me down by my waist. Optimus let out soft needy sounds. Or was that me who was making those sounds? I could feel the heat trough his clothes, just like I did minutes before. Those damn annoying clothes. I grabbed onto his wet shirt and tugged at it, wanting it off. Instead of taking his shirt off for me, Optimus growled and pulled me against him. My breasts were pressed up against his damp clothed chest. His arms surrounded me and held me close. Despite him wearing the cool damp clothing, his body was still hot against my skin. It made me crazy.

"Please...," I moaned and kissed his neck.

"Soon," he said simply and lifted me up as his lips drifted down my own neck. I wrapped my legs around his waste and he carried me to the single berth as he nipped at my neck. He set me down on the metallic bed with his mouth still on my throat. My hands ran through his short hair as our lips finally met again. I began to fumble with his belt while trying not to break our kiss. Optimus merely withdrew and gently pushed me down onto my back. I tried to sit back up, wanting to keep touching him but the Autobot held me down with one hand as he used the other to undo his belt.

His eyes bore into mine like a challenge was being set. My own eyes dropped down and at that moment I knew that he will be the dominant one. He will always be the one on top. My stomach knotted up a little at the thought. I held my breath as I watched the hologram's pants drop. The unease faded when Optimus tenderly cupped my cheek. That simple touch forced a whimper to escape from my mouth.

"Patience," he said in a harsh growl-y voice that did not match his touch. "I have waited to touch you, my love. To claim you as mine. Now, you can wait a few more moments for me while I savor this moment."

With that said, Optimus took his time in taking the rest of his cloths off. He did it all one handed, which made things slower. When he tossed the last article of clothing, his boxers, I realized that this was the first time I've ever seen him fully naked. And I gotta say, it was one of the best things I have ever seen. I had to force myself to not giggle hysterically like a fangirl. But, lord, was his body delicious. Those hard chiseled abs. His strong but not overly muscled arms. He was just beautiful. His other hand was still on my cheek, caressing it. Occasionally his thumb would slip into my mouth and I'd bite it gently. The way his body shuddered when I did so got me more excited. But he was just so damn slow! It was clear that Optimus was teasing me. It was getting to be agitating. Finally, his hands drifted down to my breasts. I couldn't help but blush when he did so. And him saying, "So soft..." then squeezing them didn't help. It was just so embarrassing for me. I must have been blushing pretty badly because Optimus took one good look at me then started laughing.

"Nooo!" I whined helplessly and threw my arms up to cover my face. "You're embarrassing me!" I felt him lean closer and squeeze harder.

"What's embarrassing?" he purred. He knew damn well what was embarrassing,

"You talking like that," I said and peeked out at him. He was smiling a boyish smile. Sweet yet teasing. It made me feel even more hot. "Saying that they're-"

"But they are soft," he immediately countered while squeezing my breasts again. "So incredibly soft." I practically melted when he said it the second time. My arms dropped down to my sides. Optimus cupped both of my breasts and kissed them. I shivered. "So sensitive. Just like any other femme in heat." I would have been a smart ass and given him some sort of retort but I didn't. It was my way of surrendering to Optimus and he knew it. I could tell by the rougher kisses he planted on me as he moved up my chest to my neck then finally to my lips. His lips barely withdrew from mine when he whispered, "You belong to me from this moment on. Everything that is you. Your body. Your love. Your spark. Everything. Mine."

"My spark?" I asked. In response, Optimus placed a hand gently on the left side of my chest. Right over my heart.

"It's mine," he murmured. "Remember that, my love. You belong to me. Ever since you were marked by the All Spark. The Primes knew that you will belong to me. We were meant for each other."

"Yes," was the only thing I could utter.

Optimus then climbed onto the berth with me. I scooted back a little to give him room only to be dragged back by the ankle. Apparently he was pretty controlling but not to the same degree as Megatron. He took the initiative by grabbing my thighs and spreading my legs himself. His hands tightened a little as he took in the sight of me. I began to feel self-conscious again. I almost wanted to go back into the bathroom and hide. Almost.

"No more hiding," Optimus said. He read my mind again. I wasn't really sure if I truly hated that or not. But he was right. No more hiding.

The Autobot leader positioned himself between my legs and with one heavy thrust, he was in me. It didn't hurt. It didn't feel amazing. To be honest, I wasn't even paying attention to how it felt. All my attention was on his face. The moment he entered me, Optimus closed his eyes and tilted his head back. He stayed like that for a mere second before looking back down at me. There was no better word to describe the way he looked at me. He looked so...triumphant. I reached up and caressed his face. Optimus tilted his face to the side, kissed the palm of my hand, then leaned down to kiss my lips.

"Mine," he whispered. In my head, it finally clicked that this was what I wanted from the moment we first kissed. I wanted him. I wanted Optimus. He was right. We were destined for each other. Ever since I fell on that shard, we belonged to each other. Because of this realization, something in me opened up and the pleasure seeped into my body. Optimus unleashed whatever he was holding back and began to thrust. He was slow and even at first, but he soon began to pick up his pace. I couldn't do much else than whimper.

"O-Optimus...," I whispered. 'Har...der...'

Optimus let out a low grow and held me down as he pounded harder into me. It wasn't painful. It felt...wonderful. His dick was long and thick, and it felt so good. My hand fell from Optimus' face and my head lulled to the side. Then the heat came. The familiar heat that I dreaded when Megatron took me. It increased to the point of feeling like I was burning up. Our minds began to become one, just like Megatron's and mine did. Our memories. Our fantasies. Our need and desire for each other. Our love. Everything. Fear began to consume me. '_It's going to be just like with Megatron,_' I thought. '_I'll be left behind again._'A tiny bit of pain appeared in my heart. I knew that it was Megatron trying to reach me. He felt my weakness. He found me. Now he was going to take me back. Then Optimus kissed me. It was a long and lingering kiss that made me feel reassured. It was beautiful. I heard Megatron yell in frustration but it was far off and still fading. '_No_,' I thought to myself. '_No more fear. No more Megatron_.'

The Decepticon leader still tried to reach for me through the bond. My arms flew up and wrapped around Optimus' neck. The Autobot leader held me closer as he continued to thrust. The heat inside me, inside us, wasn't burning. It was...living. It was a part of me. A part of Optimus. It was our bond being strengthened. It brushed away Megatron's hand and held Optimus closer to me.

"Stop thinking," Optimus panted into my neck. "Allow me to take over. I will keep you safe." I clung to him more, digging my nails into the flesh of his back. He growled thickly and nipped hungrily at my neck. He was going faster while keeping me close. At this point, there was no way for me to be left behind.

**Optimus POV**

I could feel her worries fading. She shut out her mind and merely allowed the pleasure take over her body. Good. That made things easier for me. I pushed Megatron back enough so that he couldn't feel us and we couldn't feel him. This made things better for Clare as well. The fire within her was rising along with mine. Clare was finally able to enjoy what I'm giving to her. My hips jerked forward, forcing myself deeper into her. I never imagined how incredibly tight she was. The soft breathy sounds she made only excited me more. Her sweaty body writhed and arched up. I've wanted her under me for a long time. I've wanted to hear her cry out my name in ecstacy.

"Optimus...my Optimus Prime..," she chanted. I could feel her nearing an overload, or climax. Her walls clench around me, making it harder to thrust. As good as if felt, there was no way I was going to let this end so quickly.

I pressed her down against the berth while my hips continued their ravenous motion. Using our bond, I reached into her and did my best to hold back her climax. Clare clearly felt this and began to squirm under me.

"Hold it," I whispered to her.

"I-I can't," she cried out helplessly. Her body shuddered as her climax grew. "I'll...I'll explode." I couldn't help but chuckle at this. Even her most absurd thoughts were endearing to me.

"_Mmmmh_...no you will not," I said and tried to thrust faster. Primus, she was so tight. She panted harder and whined, which only made me want to hold her back more. I really wanted to give Clare a good hard climax. But, I knew that I shouldn't hold back too much. I did not want to hurt her. However, I did want a change in position. Without pulling out of her, I sat up and gently pulled Clare onto my lap. She moaned and clung to me while I positioned her legs for better access. Finally, with her legs around my waist and my hands her hips, I continued to pound into her. The human cried out as I managed to go further into her. I knew that I was hitting her "sweet spot".

"_Please_!" she exclaimed feebly as I pulled her down to each of my thrusts. "Optimus! Please! Stop..ah! Stop teasing! I-I need to...**ahaahhh**!" I finally allowed her to climax. She let out a beautiful scream and clung to me as best she could. After a few ragged thrusts, I climaxed as well. I realized that I released my essence into her. I was unaware that my hologram was able to do so, but Clare didn't seem to care. At the moment. She merely went limp in my arms. Her body trembled as I pulled myself out of her. She moaned softly as I kissed her.

"Tired?" I asked, caressing her soft cheeks. She mumbled something then drifted off to sleep. I held her close and laid down on the berth. "Sweet dreams, my love."

**Clare POV**

I woke up with a smile on my face. I felt so warm and happy. Probably the happiest I've been for a while. I looked up to see Optimus' face very close to mine. His eyes were closed, making him look like he was asleep. I knew that he wasn't. I could feel it.

"Optimus," I said. When he didn't respond, I gave him a soft kiss. Without opening his eyes, Optimus leaned closer and nipped my bottom lip.

"_Sleep_," his voice rumbled in my head. He sounded satisfied. It made my smile widen. The bond between us was strong and I could feel it clearly. It even overlapped the weakened bond I had with Megatron. I just had to figure out how to talk to Optimus through it.

"Optimus," I said again. "We...need to talk." He opened his eyes then. The playful smile was completely gone and was replaced by a serious frown.

"I know," he said. "You wish to go back to your home instead of staying here."

"Only for my senior year," I said defensively.

"I know," he repeated and nuzzled my neck. His hot breath gave me goose bumps and I shuddered with pleasure. It was clear that finally after having sex with him, touching me wasn't completely off limits anymore.

"Please don't be upset," I managed to get out before I gasped. His hands were on my rump and he pulling me closer. Optimus merely nodded and sucked on my neck. "O-Optimus...," I moaned and ran my hands down his back, gently raking my nails against his warm smooth skin. He groaned and sucked harder on my neck.

"_I will miss you_," he said through the bond. He kissed me as he rolled on top of me again.

As he took me for the second that day, I could feel Optimus' sadness. Even through all the pleasure that began to consume me. It was almost like a throbbing feeling in my gut. Every time I tried to say something, Optimus would just muffle my words with a forced kiss. After a while, I gave up trying to talk to him. It was clear that he wasn't in the mood. With his forehead against mine, I stared up at his closed eyes. He was panting very softly as if thrusting non-stop was the easiest thing for him.

"_Optimus,_" I thought as I panted along to the rhythm of his thrusts. "_I won't be gone forever._"

"_I know,_" he whispered through our bond. Before I realized that I spoke to him through the bond, Optimus pressed his lips onto mine again. Soon, I was lost in our little world of passion.


	31. Graduation

_Final chapter for Called by the Matrix! Hope you guys enjoyed the story even though it took so long for me to write. I'm planning on writing a third one since many have voted on it. lol But not just yet. I wanna write a few other things too as well as catch up on my art. So, we'll see. Thank you all for staying with me and Clare for this long. **  
**_

_Happy reading and writing!  
_

* * *

**One Week Later**

After all that's happened, I was finally able to go home. It felt like it's been decades since I last saw my house. Then I realized that my home was demolished...at my request. Lennox would constantly remind me that it was rebuilt. All in all, it felt very odd going back to my neighborhood. It was a long drive from DC to home, but we finally made it. The Autobots were obviously with me. I kept switching rides at every stop we made; first I was in Bumblebee, then Ratchet, Jazz, Ironhide and then finally Optimus. I was somewhat relived that I was able to spend _some _with each of them before we were separate again. But that didn't hide the fact that they were going to leave again.

Everyone was trying to be cheerful with me. Jazz and Bee tried to crack jokes. Ratchet tried to ask me random questions about Earth, which I knew he already had the answer for, just to take my mind off things. Even Ironhide tried to cheer me up by telling me exciting stories about his past battles. But we all knew that it was going to be the same as the other times they left for NEST. It was joyless.

All the preparations were made for my final year of high school. I was going to start the next day. In the past, I was never really nervous about a new school year. This time, however, I was terrified. After everything that has happened and everyone finding out about the Autobots and Decepticons, I don't know how I will survive this year. Especially without Caitlin or the Autobots by my side. I knew that everyone will treat me differently. I just don't know how I'll deal with it all. I hoped that I wouldn't lash out on anyone like I did to Caitlin at the camp. And I hoped that I won't make any enemies. Having the Decepticons for enemies was bad enough.

Optimus parked right in front of my newly built house. It looked the same, but didn't. It was too new. All the little flaws that were on the old building where nonexistent on this one. It depressed me a little. The rest of the neighborhood, I noticed, was mostly repaired. Even the street. Only a few houses were being finished up. Other than that, it looked like any old neighborhood. And yet, I felt so out of place. There was no one else here except for my mom and sister, who were just coming out from my...their house. I felt a little relieved by this. No one else from NEST came with us, which meant that if there was a mob we weren't entirely protected. Epps, Lennox, the second wave of Autobots, and basically everyone else from NEST already said their goodbyes to me at the base.

I silently watched my mom and Anna walk forward. Their steps were slow and hesitant. A few days ago, Anna called that they had already moved into the new house. She told me about all the new stuff they got; Furniture, appliances, clothes, etc. Apparently some of it was donated. I personally didn't like the fact that it was donated to us. It wasn't like we were poor or anything, but I didn't bother mentioning it. I watched Anna stop a few yards away from Optimus, but my mom still came forward. She looked determined. It was clear that she wanted me to get out so the Autobots could leave. I sighed heavily.

"Well...I guess this is it," I muttered without looking at either my mother or Optimus' hologram.

"You can still change your mind," the Autobot leader said gently. I felt him pet my hair.

"I just can't do that," I said. "I have to finish high school. I have to get this over with if I want to get into college." I turned and looked at him. His blue eyes looked bruised. He was also dreading this day. "I...I have to be brave and face all those people, Optimus. Just like you said, no more hiding," He gave me a slight nod.

"I understand," he said, almost inaudibly.

A knock came from my window. I turned to see my mom. She was standing right in front of the window, most likely on the step. It made things feel awkward to have her hovering around like that. She frowned at Optimus' hologram and motioned me to get out. She did not trust the Autobots anymore and it hurt to know that. It just wasn't fair.

"Clare," Optimus began softly. "No matter what your mother thinks...no...no matter what _anyone_ thinks, I will always love you." Immediately, I turned and kissed him. I didn't care if anyone was watching, not even my own mother. Optimus growled softly and kissed back. We both ignored my mom's angry protests and banging.

"_She will be more upset_," Optimus said through the bond while his hand knotted itself in my hair.

"_I don't care_," I retorted then let out a moan as we both kissed harder.

Finally, after a few moments, I pulled away from him. I was panting while my heart pounded against my chest. The rest of my body felt hot and ready for more. I could feel Optimus himself wanted to continue as well, not by just the bond but by the hungry look in his eyes. But it was impossible now with my mom gaping outside the window. Without saying another word, I got out of Optimus' real body and faced my mother, who hopped down from the step to give me room. When I looked at her, there were daggers in her eyes. I didn't care. She had no right in acting the way she was. I passed right by her and went to the other Autobots who were using their holograms. Bumblebee wasn't facing me at all. Instead he was busying himself by slowly taking my suit cases out of his trunk. I sighed and turned to everyone else.

Ratchet planted a small kiss on my forehead and said, "Stay out of trouble." If that didn't startle me then Ironhide's peck on my cheek did.

"We'll all try to stay in touch," he mumbled then ruffled my hair. I was too stunned by how sad they looked to complain about him touching my hair. When I turned to Jazz, he chuckled softly and hugged me.

"We'll miss ya, baby girl," he said with a half smile.

"I'll miss you guys too," I answered. Finally, I looked back at Bumblebee, who was merely staring at the ground. He didn't bother trying to hide his sadness. My guardian pulled me against him when I went to him and held me close. No one bothered to pull him away, except my mom who merely cleared her throat. Bee tensed and began to pull away but I held onto him. There was no way that my mother was ruining this even more for me. "We won't be separated forever, Bumblebee," I said hopefully for the last time.

"You said that already," he muttered.

"I know. And you should know that's it's true," I said gently. Bee nodded then let go of me. I looked around and realized that Optimus' hologram didn't come out. The others noticed this as well. Ironhide growled something under his breath, stalked over to Optimus, and pounded on the driver's window.

"Prime! What are you doing?" he snarled, something that only Ironhide was able to do to Optimus without getting into any trouble. I guess you get some perks for being a very close friend to Optimus.

I couldn't even see his hologram in Optimus' driver's seat. But I knew what was wrong. Optimus was devastated about leaving me again. He was worried that I might get hurt again. All in all, he didn't want me out of his sight.

"Don't push it, Ironhide," I said, trying to push words through my closing throat. 'Don't cry,' I chanted in my mind. 'Don't cry.' "I think it's best if you all just go." 'Don't cry.' Ironhide didn't question it. He merely nodded and headed back to his body. 'Don't cry.'

"Alright, ya'll," Jazz said with a sigh. "Time to head back." Without another word, the holograms all disappeared and the engines roared to life. 'Don't cry.' Jazz, Bee, Ironhide, and Ratchet all drove off while Optimus stayed where he was. I stared at the red and blue semi truck.

'_Go_ _Optimus,'_ I said through the bond. His engine turned on. '_Go_.' he crept passed me, close enough for me to reach out and touch his finish. "Goodbye," I whispered as he finally drove off. I stared after him silently. 'Don't cry. Don't cry. Don't cry.'

I felt a pair of arms wrap around me. My mother kissed my forehead and said, "It's better this way." She held me closer and stroked my hair. "Now you are truly safe from those hellions."

"Mom!" Anna exclaimed. I ignored them. I just picked my suite cases up and went inside my new temporary house.

I felt like a stranger. Like the outside, the inside was almost exactly the same except for the blatantly new furniture and the smell of paint thinner that still lingered faintly. I went up to my room and felt my heart drop even more. It was empty of everything except for a small bed with a plain sheet-less mattress on it. It made me remember the last time I came here. All of my things...gone. Even my panda bear, Walter. All of it. Gone. Like the Autobots. Like Optimus.

I dropped my things onto the ground and fell onto the bed. The tears immediately poured out. I cried. Sobbed, was more like it. It was the hard ugly sobbing that made me hiccup afterwards. I probably would have been embarrassed if someone was in the room with me watching, but I didn't really care. It felt like hours went by until I finally began to wind down. Emotionally, I was exhausted. It took me a while to realized that someone was stroking my hair. When I finally looked up, I saw Anna. She looked sad and I did not know what to make from that.

Before I was able to tell her to leave, she said, "I'm sorry, Clare." When I didn't answer, she continued on. "I know that I, we, don't understand what happened to you or how you feel about the Autobots, but I can tell that you belong with them. It's...it's as Optimus said, it's your destiny." I knew that Anna wasn't entirely against having me being with the Autobots, but I never knew that she was all for it either. "That, for a fact, is true. No matter what anyone says. Not even mom. And I...I'm proud of you. I'm proud that you can never be beaten down." I kept silent, but I knew that she really had no idea what happened to me. Then I realized, that that was my fault. I was too selfish to tell them anything about what happened. Too selfish to actually talk to mom and Anna so they would understand better. That realization slammed in harder when Anna pulled me close and held me. I've missed her hugs. I've missed my sister. After meeting the Autobots, I have completely ditched my family. Well, my biological family. My mom and my sister where the only ones I had. So stupid of me. Stupid and cruel.

"It may have been my destiny," I said quietly. Throat felt raw from crying so hard. "but that doesn't mean that I should forget about you and mom." I hugged her back tightly.

We stayed like that, clinging to each other, for a long time. Then all the words came out. I told Anna everything. And I mean everything. It was hard at first, to go through the first assualt with Megatron, but I found more strength as I continued talking. I felt that warmth in me. Optimus was listening in too. And he was helping me. I still cried at some parts. Me and Anna both did. But the more I talked about it, the easier it became. I even felt a little rejuvenated when I was done.

"You'll be able to go back to them, Clare," Anna said after blowing her nose. Thankfully she had brought up a box of tissues with her. She pointedly avoided mentioning what happened with Megatron. She was really shaken up by that. But she knew better than to treat me like a poor defenseless victim.

"Yeah, after I finish this school year," I mutter. Anna smiled and wrapped an arm around me.

"Don't worry. You'll get through it. It's just one more year," she said and pinched my arm playfully. "Besides, I'll be here with you to get through it."

**8 Months Later**

School had been...miserable. The fact that the Autobots existed and that I had connections to them was well known throughout the school let alone the entire world. I avoided leaving the house, other than going to school, because of that. Even if Optimus and the others were with me, I think school still would have been miserable. Thanks to the cell phone Simmons gave me, I was able to complain to the Autobots and Caitlin. Whenever Lennox or Simmons would call to check up on me, I would complain to them too. The funny thing was, they actually listened without telling me to shut up. Anna got fed up with my bitching after every couple weeks. When I'm not talking to her, I'm talking to everyone else.

I'd told the others about all the crap I've gotten from the people at school. Not just the students but also from a lot of the teachers. It was down right obnoxious. A lot of people hated me for a few reasons. Some were probably jealous of me being friends with the Autobots while others just thought I was some alien freak who should be condemned. Some hated me because they were afraid of what I can do and who I'm "connected" to and some just hated me for reasons unknown. Some of my old friends ditched me while others _tried_ to be my best friend. Whenever I would tell Caitlin about them she would just laugh. They were the people both Caitlin and I hated during high school and middle school. So it was pretty obvious that they just wanted to get attention. Then there were those random losers, who knew about my abilities, that came up to me only to ask if I could fix their cell phones, came consoles, computers, or whatever other electrical device they had. I really wanted to punch those people in the face. When I told Ironhide this, he asked why I didn't do so. I had no answer for that.

As much as I complained, I had to admit that the year wasn't _completely_ horrible. There were some people who were genuinely very nice to me. Most would just tell me that I was a hero. One of them was my Jewelry teacher. I was happy to have at least one favorite teacher on my side. Surprisingly, the paparazzi weren't harassing me at all. After telling Lennox this, he told me that the government have warned the paparazzi to keep away from me. That was also a great relief.

As more time went by, the less I was able to hear the Primes. At times they would randomly start talking to me about something. Other times they would just talk to each other while I would hear bits and pieces of their conversation. Optimus told me the same thing was happening to him. Soon, their voices stopped all together. A few days after I stopped hearing the Primes all together, Optimus told me that he could only talk to them through the Matrix. I guess the Primes didn't have any more reason to stay in our heads anymore.

Because of the bond, Optimus and I were able to talk to each other 24/7. I was getting better at reading him through the bond. Of course, since he's a naturally aware of what spark bonds can do, Optimus was able to give me little surprises at times. Especially during the night when I'm asleep. He would come into my dreams and...have a little fun. It would feel so real and I would wake up in the morning wrapped in his warmth. Sometimes during school, if I was really down, I would feel a faint embrace as if he was right there beside me or if he wanted to tease me he would give me a slight caress. Those were the kinds of things that kept me going. My Autobot friends, my human friends, my family, and my Optimus Prime.

But, during the last couple weeks of school before graduation, Optimus stopped talking to me. He could feel him, but I couldn't exactly read what he was thinking. I would occasional feel excitement but that was about it. Whenever I asked the others about it they would deny knowing anything. After a while, I assumed that he was just excited that my school year was almost over. However, I still found it weird that he wouldn't talk to me.

Finally, though, it was the end of May which meant Graduation. Thank the lord that I passed everything I needed to pass to graduate. Seniors got out earlier than the other suckers still in high school. It was a warm day with a good breeze and I was still very hot in my robes. But then again, I was sitting in the middle of a group of 573 seniors outside in the football field. With my last name being Roberts, I had to wait a long while for my name to be called. After waiting for nearly an hour, they finally got to my row. As we stood and went to the podium I heard his voice.

"_Clare. We are here._"

I froze on stage just as my name was called. I looked out into the crowd who looked back at me. My eyes drifted to the middle of the audience and I saw him. I saw _them_. Right next to my mom and Anna sat Bumblebee, Jazz, Ratchet, Ironhide, and Optimus. All five of the first wave in their holograms. They acknowledge me with a nod or smile. Tears welled up in my eyes. I was about to leap off the stage and run to them. But someone cleared their throat. I looked back at my school principal who was still holding my diploma.

"Is there something wrong, Clare?" he asked dryly.

"O-oh. No. Sorry," I stuttered then grabbed my diploma and trotted back to my seat. I was disappointed that I couldn't see the Autobots anymore from my seat but I could hear Optimus chuckling in my head.

It felt like forever for everyone else's name to be called. At least I was closer to the end of the group. After the last diploma was given and our principle declared us graduates, we threw our hats into the air as the crowd cheered. Instead of trying to catch my hat, I bolted off the stage and into the crowd. I saw Optimus stand and hold his arms out. He caught me as I literally threw myself at him. My legs wrapped around his waist as his face buried into my hair. I felt hands patting my back and squeezing my shoulder. I let the tears flow out. No one could ruin this moment for me. I didn't care if people were staring at me or moved away. I did not care. I was too overwhelmed to speak so I just cried. When Optimus finally set me down, Jazz and Ratchet both gave me a bear hugs while Ironhide merely threw an arm around me and held me close. Bumblebee was hugging me and grinning.

"I missed you guys," I said and wiped my tears away.

"We missed you too, kid," Ironhide said with a half smile.

My mom quickly moved in and hugged me. I was a little startled by the fact that she didn't give any hostile looks to the Autobots. She merely smiled tearfully and congratulated me. Anna did the same and added a playful smack to the back of my head. Even after the talk I had with Anna, I still felt a little wary about them and the Autobots being around each other. During the year, I avoided talking to my mom about the Autobots. I didn't know how to talk to her about them. At least, not without arguing and making her angry.

"Come on!" Bumblebee said suddenly and tugged my arm.

"What's the hurry? Do you guys have to leave soon?" I asked, a bit baffled.

"Well, yeah," Ironhide retorted gruffly.

"Aw..."

"Baby girl, you're coming with us," Jazz added happily.

"Really? Already?" I asked stunned.

"You said you wanted to finish high school then come with us to our base," Bee said, still tugging on my arm.

"I know that I agreed to going to DC after graduation but I didn't exactly mean _right_ after!"

"You don't want to come with us?" Jazz asked disappointedly.

"No. No! It's not that! I just meant that it's so soon and...," I looked at mom and Anna. They were both smiling. Mom was smiling, though rather sadly.

"Clare," she said gently. "Everything has been taken care of."

"What do you mean, taken care of?" I looked at Optimus suspiciously. He merely shrugged but I knew better. I planned all this...whatever it was.

"Let's just say that...Optimus and I had a little heart to heart." My mom hugged me tightly again. "You...you should make your own choices. And if you want to go with the Autobots then go on ahead. I will always love you no matter what."

"Oh mom...," I whimpered and cried again. Anna hugged onto us and cried as well. The Autobots patiently waited for us to regain ourselves before leading us out of the now empty football field and into the parking lot. Bumblebee drove us home while the other 'bots followed. When we arrived, I saw Lennox and Epps both grinning and waving at us. They had my suitcases out on the yard with them. Mom told me that they already packed my stuff while I was at school getting ready for graduation.

My family and I got out of Bee and merely stared at each other for a moment. Suddenly my mom pulled me into a tight hug then kissed my cheek. My sister also hugged me. They helped me load up my suitcases into Bumblebee. We said our goodbyes then I climbed back into my yellow guardian. We knew that this was the moment where I will leave them. I'll be off on my own...sort of. It was best to keep it short and sweet.

The two soldiers climbed into Ironhide as Bumblebee's hologram waved at my family. After a final goodbye we all drove off. I took one good look at the neighborhood as we passed by the houses, and realized that this was my only home. I've been in that very neighborhood since I was born and I knew that I probably wouldn't come back. I felt a little choked up about it, but Bumblebee smiled hopefully and held my hand. His radio turned on.

"_On the road again...sing it with me Shrek! I can't wait to get on the road again._"

I couldn't help but smile at Bumblebee. I was going to be alright.

**2 Days Later**

Traffic wasn't in our favor but we finally made it to DC. In the last stop I switched Autobots and was in Optimus. For the rest of the trip, Optimus' hologram held my hand in a possessive grip. His thumb made slow circles on the back on my hand. It sent tingles up my arm. To be wanted that much by someone made me smile. He gave me a soft caress through the bond and I shivered. God I wanted to be in his arms so badly.

I saw the base immediately. There was nothing on the outside of the building that made it obvious that it was the NEST base. It just looked like any old factory. It still made me miss our old base. At least I was able to live in this one with the 'bots. But when Optimus passed right by it, I got confused.

"Why aren't we going to the base?" I asked, watching the 'bots behind us turning into the base themselves. "The others are."

"I am showing you where you are going to be living," Optimus said matter-of-factly.

"I won't be living in the base with you guys?"

"No."

"Aw," I muttered. "But Bumblebee has all my suit cases."

"He will bring them over later."When I looked at Optimus, he was smiling. The teasing boyish smile. I wasn't sure if I should trust that smile of his.

A couple blocks down the road, Optimus turned into the parking lot of a condo. My jaw dropped. It was big and looked amazing. And expensive. The building itself wasn't very tall but took up a good chunk of the block and it was impeccably designed. The outside walls were white and looked clean. Large windows allowed us to have little glimpses of the rooms inside. It was all so...classy. The Autobot climbed out, came around, and helped me out from his truck self. I looked at Optimus in disbelief. It must have been a joke.

"This is where you will live," he said. When I said nothing he chuckled and lead me towards the door.

"You're...actually serious about this?" I asked.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Optimus asked back and continued leading me inside. We walked down a hall stopped in front of the last door. Optimus pulled out a key and unlocked it. He looked at me and smiled. I hesitantly opened the door then gasped. The space inside was...perfect. It wasn't too small nor was it too big. It was perfect for my personal taste and comfort. Pale wooden planks covered the floor. The clean flawless walls were painted a soft baby blue. I ran into the small clean kitchen which was in the corner of the condo apartment. It already had a silver refrigerator and stove/oven. It already had some pots and pans as well as some food in the fridge. A small bathroom was in the opposite corner. In the main room against the wall was a small stairway that laid up to a little platform that held a twin sized bed on it. Around the platform, thankfully, was railing. Other furniture was already inside as well. A white couch with dark blue cushions was right under the platform. Against the wall opposite from the bed was a flat screened tv. A small black coffee table sat in front of the couch while next to the tv was a table with a laptop and tablet, all already plugged in and ready.

"Oh..Optimus," I whispered. "How...how did you know...?"

"Clare, we are bound," he said gently and held me close. "I have learned so much about you. All of your likes and dislikes." He chuckled. "Even your taste in 'design'. But your mother and sister helped as well." He kissed me before I could say anything. "_Do not thank me_," he whispered in my head but his voice became husky when he said, "_At least...not with words_."

I moaned as he kissed harder. The heat and desire immediately coursed through us. No matter how many times Optimus touched me in my dreams, it was never the same as having his holographic body against mine. His warmth enveloped me. His hungry kisses demanded more. Optimus backed me against the couch and fell onto it with me in his arms. We pulled our clothes off while trying to keep our lips together. He growled as he pierced himself into me while I cried out helplessly. There was no holding back. There was no fear. No Megatron.

There was only me and my Optimus Prime


End file.
